Converting Month Name from Number in Excel – 2 Ways

Excel includes several built-in functions for converting month numbers to month names, including the TEXT, MONTH, and CHOOSE functions. In this article, we will learn two ways to get the month name from numbers in Excel.

Way #1: Convert Month Number to Month Name Using the TEXT Function

Suppose you are given a list of month numbers, as below, from which you want to get the month name.

The TEXT function can be used to convert a date to a text string. Here’s an illustration of a formula:

=TEXT(DATE(2023,B2,1),"mmmm")

Explanation:

• The formula uses the DATE function to generate a date with the year set to a constant value (in this case, 2023), and the month assigned to the value in cell B2. 
• The date is then formatted as a text string in “mmmm” format, which represents the full name of the month, using the TEXT function.

You can also use the following formula to get the same result:

=TEXT(B2*29, “mmmm”)

Explanation:

• The formula multiplies the value in cell A2 by 29 to generate a serial number that can be used to represent a date. This multiplication result is then passed as the first argument to the TEXT function.
• The TEXT function then formats the resulting serial number as a date in “mmmm” format, indicating the month’s full name.

Let’s see the formula evaluation for row

=TEXT(B2*29, “mmmm”)
=TEXT(2*29, “mmmm”)
=TEXT(58, “mmmm”)
=February

Note: Generating a serial number with a fixed value like 29 isn’t the most accurate way to convert a number to a date in Excel. Depending on the specific prerequisites of the calculation, it is usually preferable to use a formula that produces a serial number from a particular date, such as the DATE function or the EDATE function.

Way #2: Converting Month Name from Number Using Choose Function

Using a list of month names as arguments, you can use the CHOOSE function to get the month name from a number. Here’s an illustration of a formula.

=CHOOSE(B3,"January","February","March","April","May","June","July","August","September","October","November","December")

Explanation:

• The CHOOSE function’s first argument is the value to match (in this case, the month number), and the remaining arguments are the possible outcomes to return (i.e. the month names in order)

Conclusion:

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