How to convert a month name to a number in Excel
Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)
=MONTH(DATEVALUE(A2&" 1"))Turn the name into a date and take its month: =MONTH(DATEVALUE(A2&" 1")).
- Result on the example
- one result per row in
B2, filled down toB6 - Works in
- Every current version
- Google Sheets
- Same formula
See it work
The formula is already in B2, filled down to B6. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.
How it works
Joining " 1" turns "March" into "March 1", which DATEVALUE reads as March 1 of the current year. MONTH then returns its month number. Full names and three-letter abbreviations both work.
=MONTH(DATEVALUE(A2&" 1"))In Google Sheets
The same formula works in Google Sheets: =MONTH(DATEVALUE(A2&" 1")). We ran it in Google Sheets mode on the same data and it returns the same results.
Other ways to do it
Each one was run on the same example sheet.
| Formula | Result | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| =MATCH(LEFT(A2,3),{"Jan","Feb","Mar","Apr","May","Jun","Jul","Aug","Sep","Oct","Nov","Dec"},0) | 3, 9, 12… | Looks up the first three letters, so it doesn't depend on date parsing. |
| =MONTH(A2&" 1") | 3, 9, 12… | Shorter: MONTH converts the text itself. |
Common mistakes
- Month names must be in the spreadsheet's language: "Mars" fails in an English locale.
- Extra spaces or "Sept." may not parse. TRIM the text, or use the MATCH version on the first three letters.
Try it yourself
Same data, empty answer cell. Your formula is graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data, so a typed-in number won't pass.
Convert a month name to a number
B2, return the month number (1 to 12) for the month name in A2, and fill down to B6.Questions
How do I convert a month number to a name?
=TEXT(DATE(2026,A2,1),"mmmm").
How do I sort month names in calendar order?
Sort by the number: =SORTBY(A2:A6,MONTH(A2:A6&" 1"),1).
Checked by running on 2026-10-30: every formula and result on this page was calculated by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine, in both Excel and Google Sheets modes.