How to Month Number From Name in Excel

Why This Task Matters in Excel

Whether you work in finance, operations, marketing, or data analytics, you will eventually deal with raw data that stores months as text: “Jan,” “February,” or “Mar 2025.” Many data-export systems and CSV files default to month names because people find them easier to read. Unfortunately, month names are awkward for calculations. You cannot sort them chronologically, add months, build time-series charts, or create dynamic dashboards without first converting those names into the universal language Excel understands: the month number 1 – 12.

Picture a sales report downloaded from an e-commerce platform. The column “Order Month” contains January, February, and so forth. Before you can produce a pivot table that trends revenue, you must convert “January” to 1, “February” to 2, and so on. Another example: a Human Resources dataset storing hire dates as “Apr” because a web form split dates into three text fields. The HR officer wants to filter employees hired in the second quarter. Again, numerical months are indispensable.

Industry scenarios abound. In retail forecasting, planners align promotions with fiscal periods, which are stored as integers (Period 1, Period 2). In manufacturing, maintenance schedules often require adding a fixed number of months to a service period; doing that on month names directly is impossible. Even simple conditional formatting—highlighting rows where the month number is greater than 6 (second half of the year)—needs numeric months. Without the conversion, you are trapped in manual lookups or error-prone copy-paste steps that break every time new data arrives.

Excel excels (pun intended) at this problem because its date serial system is built around numbers. Once the month portion is numeric, you unlock the full power of functions such as EOMONTH, NETWORKDAYS, and dynamic array filters. Mastering the conversion therefore connects directly to broader skills like date math, time intelligence, and dashboard automation. Neglecting the skill leads to mis-sorted charts, formula errors, and wasted hours cleaning data every reporting cycle.

Best Excel Approach

The fastest, most resilient method is to hand the text month to the DATEVALUE function, append a day, then extract the month with MONTH. It requires no helper tables, works with any regional language setting that matches your system, and remains dynamic—if the cell containing the month name changes, the result updates instantly.

The logic is straightforward:

1. Combine the text month with an arbitrary day (day = 1 is common) to create a valid date string, e.g., “March 1”.
2. DATEVALUE converts that string into a true Excel date serial number.
3. MONTH extracts the month portion (1 – 12) from that serial number.

Syntax:

=MONTH(DATEVALUE(A2 & " 1"))

Where:

• A2 – cell that contains the month name (“January”, “FEB”, “Sep”, etc.).
• & \" 1\" – concatenates a space and the numeral 1 so Excel reads “January 1”, “FEB 1”, etc.
• DATEVALUE converts the string into an internal date.
• MONTH returns the integer month number.

Use this approach when:

• Month names follow your Windows regional language (English month names on an English OS).
• You want a single compact formula, no helper table.
• You prefer dynamic updates as the source text changes.

Alternative approaches exist for specialized needs—mapping arrays with CHOOSE, XLOOKUP to a reference table, or Power Query for mass ETL—but DATEVALUE + MONTH remains the best balance of simplicity and robustness for most users.

Parameters and Inputs

1. Source cell or range

• Type: Text (string) containing the month name; may be full (“August”), abbreviated (“Aug”), or combined with extra text (“Aug 2025”).
• Requirement: The text must contain a recognizable month keyword in the system language.

2. Day concatenation

• We attach “ 1” (space plus one) to force a valid date string. The day value is arbitrary; any legal day works, but 1 keeps things intuitive.

3. DATEVALUE

• Takes a date-text string and converts it to an Excel serial number.
• Returns #VALUE! when the string is unrecognizable; you can trap that with IFERROR if needed.

4. MONTH

• Inputs any valid date serial; outputs an integer 1–12.

Data preparation:

• Trim leading/trailing spaces with TRIM if data is messy.
• Ensure month names are not misspelled. For user-typed data, consider data validation with a dropdown list of valid names.
• If month names include language accents (e.g., “März” in German), DATEVALUE needs the same locale.

Edge cases:

• Null or blank cells return #VALUE!; wrap with IF or IFERROR as desired.
• Mixed strings like “March-2023” usually still work, but “Mar2023” (no space) might not unless the locale recognizes it. In that case add an extra space: `=MONTH(`DATEVALUE(TEXTJOIN(\" \",,A2,\"1\"))).

Step-by-Step Examples

Example 1: Basic Scenario

Imagine a simple table measuring planned marketing activities:

In cells [A2:A13] list the twelve month names in any order. To convert:

1. Click cell B2.
2. Enter

=MONTH(DATEVALUE(A2 & " 1"))

3. Press Enter; January returns 1, February returns 2, etc.
4. Copy the formula down to B13. Excel automatically adjusts the row numbers.
5. Sort the table by column B to see the months in calendar order.

Why it works: adding “ 1” creates “January 1”—a legally interpretable date. DATEVALUE transforms this into Excel’s date serial [44927] (for 1 Jan 2023, if that’s your system default year). MONTH retrieves “1”.

Variations:

• If your data contains month abbreviations like “Jan”, “Feb”, the formula is identical and continues to work.

• If some entries have trailing spaces, wrap A2 with TRIM.

• To protect against typos, combine with IFERROR:

  =IFERROR(MONTH(DATEVALUE(TRIM(A2) & " 1")),"Check spelling")
  

Troubleshooting:

• #VALUE! error? Verify the text matches system language and is not blank.
• Incorrect results after copying? Ensure relative referencing is intact; absolute references are unnecessary here.

Example 2: Real-World Application

Scenario: A retail analyst downloads a CSV from an online marketplace. The file has columns Order_ID, Order_Month (text), Sales_Amount. She needs a pivot chart that sorts months chronologically.

Data snapshot:

Steps:

1. Insert a new column D titled “Month_Num”.
2. In D2 enter:

=MONTH(DATEVALUE(B2 & " 1"))

3. Copy down for 5,000 rows.
4. Select the full table [A1:D5001] and insert a PivotTable.
5. Place Order_Month in Rows, Sales_Amount in Values, Month_Num in the “Sort by” column.
6. Sort the pivot by Month_Num ascending. Hide the Month_Num field from the pivot if you do not want it displayed.

Business impact:

• Dashboards accurately display month-over-month sales.
• Because the formula is dynamic, if new data with additional months is pasted into rows 5002 onward, a single double-click on the fill handle extends the formula instantly.

Integration with other Excel features:

• Conditional formatting to color Q1 (months 1–3) in green, Q2 (4–6) in blue, etc.
• Use MONTH_Num in a VLOOKUP or XLOOKUP to map fiscal periods.

Performance considerations:

• DATEVALUE and MONTH are lightweight functions—they easily handle tens of thousands of rows on modern hardware.
• If your dataset exceeds 1 million rows, consider pushing the transformation into Power Query, covered later.

Example 3: Advanced Technique

Problem: Your ERP exports month names in different languages: English, French, and German. “January,” “janvier,” and “Januar” all appear in the same column. DATEVALUE alone fails because Windows regional settings may not recognize foreign month words.

Solution: Build a dual-layer formula using SUBSTITUTE and CHOOSE to map any language version to a consistent English keyword.

Steps:

1. Create a hidden mapping row:

Cell Z1 contains a pipe-delimited list: \"janvier|Januar|Januaro\".
Similar for each month (you can combine them or use an array constant). For an advanced dynamic array version:

=LET(
     m,A2,
     eng,{"January","February","March","April","May","June","July","August","September","October","November","December"},
     fr,{"janvier","février","mars","avril","mai","juin","juillet","août","septembre","octobre","novembre","décembre"},
     de,{"Januar","Februar","März","April","Mai","Juni","Juli","August","September","Oktober","November","Dezember"},
     all,CHOOSE({1,2,3},eng,fr,de),
     idx,XMATCH(LOWER(m),LOWER(all)),
     MONTH(idx)
  )

Explanation:

• LET binds variables for clarity.
• all concatenates three arrays.
• XMATCH locates the text regardless of language.
• Because arrays eng/fr/de are in calendar order, the position equals the month number.

Performance optimization:

• LET prevents recalculating arrays multiple times.
• LOWER ensures case-insensitive matching; using XMATCH in a single pass is faster than nested IFs.

Error handling:

• If XMATCH returns #N/A (unknown month), wrap the final result in IFNA(idx,\"Unknown month\").

When to use:

• Multilingual datasets, high-volume ETL tasks, or when DATEVALUE fails due to locale mismatches.

Tips and Best Practices

1. Normalize text first. Apply TRIM and PROPER functions or Power Query’s “Clean” step to remove rogue spaces before you convert months.
2. Keep formulas in a separate helper column rather than overwriting source data—this preserves raw imports for auditing.
3. Convert final results to values (Copy ➜ Paste Special ➜ Values) if the file is destined for other departments that may disable automatic calculation.
4. Use structured references in Excel Tables: `=MONTH(`DATEVALUE([@Month_Name] & \" 1\")). This auto-copies formulas for new rows without manual dragging.
5. Wrap heavy formulas inside LET to cache repeating expressions and reduce calculation time on large workbooks.
6. Document your technique with a comment or the Note property so future team members understand why the helper column exists.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

1. Misspelled month names

• Excel cannot interpret “Feberuary.” Use data validation lists or conditional formatting to highlight typos.

2. Forgetting the space before the 1

• “A2&1” results in “January1,” which DATEVALUE often misreads. Always concatenate “ 1” (space + 1).

3. Comparing month names as text

• Users sometimes sort alphabetically and believe they are in order—April appears before August, which is wrong chronologically. Convert to numbers first.

4. Failing to adjust regional settings

• DATEVALUE uses system locale. If you receive Spanish month names on an English OS, MONTH(DATEVALUE()) will error. Switch to CHOOSE/MATCH or use Power Query’s locale setting.

5. Overwriting formulas with values too early

• If you paste values while the dataset is still evolving, you lose the dynamic update. Wait until final publishing, or maintain both formula and value columns.

Alternative Methods

When DATEVALUE is unsuitable, consider these options:

Pros and cons help you choose. For example, if your organization bans macros, skip VBA. If you need a non-English month list, CHOOSE or XLOOKUP may outperform DATEVALUE.

FAQ

When should I use this approach?

Use MONTH(DATEVALUE()) when your month names match the language of your Excel installation and you want a lightweight, single-cell formula without external references.

Can this work across multiple sheets?

Yes. Reference another sheet by adding the sheet name:

=MONTH(DATEVALUE('Raw Data'!A2 & " 1"))

Ensure sheet names with spaces are wrapped in single quotes.

What are the limitations?

• DATEVALUE depends on system locale.
• It fails on misspellings or unconventional abbreviations.
• Returns #VALUE! on blank cells.
• Does not automatically understand fiscal months that start in a different calendar period without additional math.

How do I handle errors?

Wrap your formula in IFERROR or IFNA:

=IFERROR(MONTH(DATEVALUE(A2 & " 1")),0)

Return 0, blank, or a custom message to flag issues.

Does this work in older Excel versions?

Yes. DATEVALUE and MONTH exist since the earliest versions. Dynamic arrays, SWITCH, and XLOOKUP require Office 365 or Excel 2021, but the classic method is backward compatible to Excel 97.

What about performance with large datasets?

DATEVALUE/MONTH are among the fastest functions. Still, for files exceeding several hundred thousand rows, store data in an Excel Table, turn on manual calculation while editing, or offload the transformation to Power Query which streams data more efficiently.

Conclusion

Converting a month name to its numeric equivalent opens the door to reliable date calculations, accurate chart sorting, and automated reporting. The DATEVALUE + MONTH technique is quick to implement, fully dynamic, and compatible with decades of Excel versions. Mastery of this small but essential skill enhances every workflow that touches time-based data, from sales trends to project scheduling. Practice the examples, integrate the best practices, and you will never wrestle with mis-ordered months again. Next, explore related topics like fiscal period mapping and dynamic calendar tables to further elevate your Excel proficiency.