How to use the name list formatter
- Paste your names into the box, one name per line.
- Leave Convert on Detect each line, or choose To Last, First or To First Last. A line with a comma is read as Last, First.
- Choose whether to keep or drop titles such as Dr., whether to keep van, de and von with the last name, and whether to sort or remove repeated names.
- Read the converted list and the notes about any lines that were left as written. Copy it or download it as a text file.
How the names are read
For First Last, the last word is the last name. Words before it that are name particles, such as van, von, de, da and la, join it, so Ludwig van Beethoven becomes van Beethoven, Ludwig. Suffixes such as Jr., Sr., III and PhD stay at the end, so Martin Luther King Jr. becomes King, Martin Luther, Jr. Titles such as Dr. or Prof. stay with the first name, so Dr. Grace Murray Hopper becomes Hopper, Dr. Grace Murray, or Hopper, Grace Murray if you drop titles.
For Last, First, the page puts the first names and any middle names first, then the last name, then any suffix. Smith, John Q. becomes John Q. Smith, and King, Martin Luther, Jr. becomes Martin Luther King Jr. Extra spaces are tidied and blank lines are skipped.
Where a person has to look
No rule fits every name. A last name made of two ordinary words, such as Garcia Lopez without a hyphen, cannot be told from a middle name followed by a last name, so Mary Garcia Lopez becomes Lopez, Mary Garcia. Names from traditions that put the family name first, mononyms and names with unusual particles may need a manual fix. Lines the page cannot convert are left as written and named in the notes, so nothing disappears.
Skim the result for names you know are tricky. Sorting uses the last name, then the first, ignoring case, which suits a directory or a mailing list. Removing repeated names compares the finished lines without regard to case, so Ada Lovelace and ada lovelace count as the same.
Related tools and privacy
After converting, the Text Line Tools sort and clean the list further, the Case Converter fixes names typed in capitals, and the Compare Two Lists tool finds names in one list but not the other. Everything runs in your browser. The names are never uploaded or stored, which matters for lists of customers, students or staff.
Assumptions and limits
- Names follow common Western patterns: the last word is the last name, joined to any particles before it.
- Titles and suffixes come from a short built-in list, and other words are treated as part of the name.
- A name with a comma is read as Last, First when Detect each line is on. Up to 200,000 characters are read.
- Nothing is uploaded or stored.
Frequently asked questions
How do I change First Last to Last, First?
Paste the names one per line and choose To Last, First, or leave detection on. Ada Lovelace becomes Lovelace, Ada, and a list of hundreds is converted at once.
What happens to Jr. and III?
Suffixes stay at the end of the name after the first names. Martin Luther King Jr. becomes King, Martin Luther, Jr., and the reverse puts it back as Martin Luther King Jr.
Can it sort a list by last name?
Yes. Turn on Sort A to Z by last name and the converted lines are ordered by last name and then first name, ignoring capital letters.
Why was a line left unchanged?
A single word, a line with an empty part around a comma, or a line already in the shape you asked for cannot be converted, so it is left as written. The notes under the result name each such line by number.