Alphabetizing Help

These are my data:

ColumnA ColumnB ColumnC

Smith William
Jones Weston
Ashby Albert
Aaron Fred
Smith Elaine
White Tom
Jones Albert

Column A contains the LAST NAMES and Column B has the FIRST NAMES.

I need help in a formula that will alphabetize the names in Column C in
this format : LAST NAME, FIRST NAME

Note that there are 2 entries for "Smith" and "Jones" and this is where
I get stumped.

Please help ... thanks and regards.


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Message posted from http://www.ExcelForum.com/

First sort columns A and B (by B first then by A)

Next, in C1 place:

=B1 & ", " & A1

Copy down for all of your names.

K


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Message posted from http://www.ExcelForum.com/

Is there a reason you can't use datasort and sort by last names and then by
first?

--

Regards,

Peo Sjoblom

(No private emails please, for everyone's
benefit keep the discussion in the newsgroup/forum)


"BenjieLop " wrote in message
...
These are my data:

ColumnA ColumnB ColumnC

Smith William
Jones Weston
Ashby Albert
Aaron Fred
Smith Elaine
White Tom
Jones Albert

Column A contains the LAST NAMES and Column B has the FIRST NAMES.

I need help in a formula that will alphabetize the names in Column C in
this format : LAST NAME, FIRST NAME

Note that there are 2 entries for "Smith" and "Jones" and this is where
I get stumped.

Please help ... thanks and regards.


---
Message posted from http://www.ExcelForum.com/

I may not have explained my data very clearly so please allow me to
clarify my entries.

Let us consider the first entry

ColumnA ColumnB
Smith William

He is "William Smith" and so his corresponding entry in Column C
(following the format LASTNAME, FNAME) will be "Smith, William".

If I sort by columns and do a =B1&","&A1 for Column C, instead of
getting "Smith, William" I will be getting

"Smith, Tom" and "White, William"

I hope I have presented my data clearer this time.

Thanks again.


BenjieLop


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Message posted from http://www.ExcelForum.com/

BenjieLop,

It sounds to me as if you are sorting the columns as individual sorts.
Highlight both columns and the sort by column B and then with the data still
highlighted, sort by column A and I think that you will have what you want.

HTH

Sandy

--
to e-mail direct replace @mailintor.com with @tiscali.co.uk


"BenjieLop " wrote in message
...
I may not have explained my data very clearly so please allow me to
clarify my entries.

Let us consider the first entry

ColumnA ColumnB
Smith William

He is "William Smith" and so his corresponding entry in Column C
(following the format LASTNAME, FNAME) will be "Smith, William".

If I sort by columns and do a =B1&","&A1 for Column C, instead of
getting "Smith, William" I will be getting

"Smith, Tom" and "White, William"

I hope I have presented my data clearer this time.

Thanks again.


BenjieLop


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Message posted from http://www.ExcelForum.com/