Converting month number to text

  • Thread starter Thread starter Heather
  • Start date Start date
With a date in A1,

=TEXT(A1,"mmm")

However if you have only a month number in A1, you can use a lookup or
choose function like this which may be easier than converting it to a fake
date of that month;

=CHOOSE(A1,"Jan","Feb","Mar") <- continue this

then A1=1, "Jan" will be chosen.
 
Thanks Dave,
For some strange reason text(A1,"mmm") does not work....it
always returns "Jan", so I used the lookup function and
that was fine...
 
or use this where a1 contains the month number ie 10 = October
=TEXT(DATE(2004,A1,1),"mmmm")
 
Hi Don!

Thanks! It has limitations because the underlying result is a date in
1900 but we have used the same principle for formatting weekday
numbers as the text day for years (thanks to the stuff up with Leap
Year in 1900).
 
Here are couple of suggestions.

1) Build a master key
Column 1 Column 2
1 January
2 February
3 March

If you build this master key, then you can do a V-lookup
formula (check your functions toolbar)

2) You can do a If/then statement
If(A1=1,"January",if(A1=2,"February,if(A1=3,"March"....

3) Try the "Text to Columns" feature - See Excel Help
for details.

4) Try formatting your cells - it may convert it for you.

Good luck
 
Hi Harlan!

Agreed! It's really only a curiosity to be used for a one off
conversion.

You could use =TEXT(A1*29,"mmm") if you really wanted a text form that
would retain text form down stream; but you're back to using a
function.

In any event, I treat it as a curiosity that has an obscure logic that
is likely to confuse.
 
Hi Myrna!

Agreed but...

30 only works with the 1900 Date System. Using the 1904 system you get
2*30 = March and 3*30 = March.

But who in their right mind would use the 1904 system? <gdr>
 
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