How to flip "Last, First" into "First Last"
✓ Verified in LibreOffice 25.8.7.3Reorder comma-style names from exports and directories into natural order.
The formula
| App | Formula | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Excel | =MID(A2,FIND(",",A2)+2,100)&" "&LEFT(A2,FIND(",",A2)-1) | Assumes "Last, First" with one comma-space. 365: =TEXTAFTER(A2,", ")&" "&TEXTBEFORE(A2,","). |
| Google Sheets | =MID(A2,FIND(",",A2)+2,100)&" "&LEFT(A2,FIND(",",A2)-1) | Identical. |
| LibreOffice Calc | =MID(A2,FIND(",",A2)+2,100)&" "&LEFT(A2,FIND(",",A2)-1) | Identical. |
How it works
FIND locates the comma; MID takes everything two characters past it (skipping the comma and space) while LEFT takes everything before it, and & reassembles them in natural order: "Lovelace, Ada" → "Ada Lovelace". If some entries lack the space after the comma, use +1 with a TRIM wrapper; suffixes like "Jr." travel with whichever part they were typed in.
Verified, not just documented
We ran =MID(A2,FIND(",",A2)+2,100)&" "&LEFT(A2,FIND(",",A2)-1) in LibreOffice 25.8.7.3 (headless, with forced recalculation) and it returned Ada Lovelace — exactly the expected result. Every formula here is confirmed by actually executing it.