# How to get the month name from a date in Excel

Use =TEXT(date,"mmmm") for the full name or "mmm" for the short one.

**Excel:** `=TEXT(A2,"mmmm")` (Every current version)

**Google Sheets:** the same formula works.

## Example

Sample data (row 1 is the header):

| A | B |
| --- | --- |
| Order date | Month |
| 2026-01-14 |  |
| 2026-03-02 |  |
| 2026-03-30 |  |
| 2026-07-04 |  |
| 2026-12-19 |  |

Formula in B2, filled to B6: `=TEXT(A2,"mmmm")`

Result: January; March; March; July; December

## How it works

TEXT formats a number as text using a pattern: `"mmmm"` is the full month name, `"mmm"` the three-letter version, and `"mmm yyyy"` adds the year. The result is text, which is ideal for labels.

## Other ways

- `=TEXT(A2,"mmm")`: Short names: Jan, Mar, Jul. (Three-letter month names.)
- `=CHOOSE(MONTH(A2),"January","February","March","April","May","June","July","August","September","October","November","December")`: Gives the same names without TEXT, and lets you use your own labels.

## Common mistakes

- The result is text, so it sorts alphabetically (April before January). Sort by the date or by `MONTH(A2)` instead.
- TEXT month names follow the language of your spreadsheet.
- To keep a real date but display the month, use a custom number format "mmmm" on the date cell instead.

## Questions

**How do I get the month number?**

Use `=MONTH(A2)`, which returns 1 to 12.

**How do I get the day name?**

Use `=TEXT(A2,"dddd")`.

Every formula and result on this page was checked by running it in the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine on 2026-10-29.

Source: https://spreadsheetpractice.com/formulas/get-month-name-from-a-date