Cell and Range Naming in Excel

Just as life, its a lot simpler to name things and people around us, I wonder why cant we replicate this to excel. Wouldn’t the formula be simple if it read =interest_rate*loan_amount rather than =$A$2*C2

Let’s see how it works

Cell Naming

Download the Start File

1. Select the cell that you want to name
2. Go to the name box on the top left corner
3. Type the name and press ‘Enter’ (I am stressing here, since a lot of folks forget to press Enter) – Some more rules regarding naming .. comin’up  below!!
4. Then simply use your name in the formula and copy the result down with Ctrl+D
5. Isn’t that cool.. Let’s try an increase the cool quotient 😉

Range Naming

1. Select the Range
2. Name it in the Name box
3. Use it in your formula

Naming Rules and Caution!

1. The first character must be a letter, an underscore, or a backslash
2. No spaces are allowed in a range name. Alternate space with an underscore “_”
3. Do not use a name that is the same as a cell address. For example, you can't name a range U2 or UB40, but STEP182 and ALLEN are fine
4. Names cannot be repeated
5. Stay away from long names like Venkatanara_simhara_juvaripeta or Antoinette_Olivia_Caroline_Isabella 😀
6. Stay away from too much naming in the spreadsheet. It makes it more difficult to manage

Cell Naming Tools and Resources

1. To edit/delete/modify the names. Visit name manager by Ctrl + F3. Also can be accessed in the formula tab
2. To auto complete the cell name or your function, use the Tab key
3. To insert the name in your formula use F3 (this will display the list of all names in the workbook)
4. Use the shortcut Ctrl + Shift + F3 to name a bunch of cell together (take a look at the graphic below)

Tell me about your best practices in cell naming. Have fun .. take care!!