In Excel: Excel does not recognize a name in a formula — most often a misspelled function name or an unquoted text string; fix by correcting the spelling or adding the missing quotes.
Fix:#NAME?
What causes #NAME?
#NAME? means Excel cannot recognize something in a formula — it encountered a label it has no definition for. The four most common causes are: (1) a misspelled function name (e.g. "SUUM" instead of "SUM", "IFERROR" typed as "IFFEROR"); (2) a named range that does not exist or has been deleted; (3) text that should be in double quotes appearing without them (e.g. =COUNTIF(A:A, yes) instead of =COUNTIF(A:A, "yes")); (4) using a function from a newer Excel version (e.g. XLOOKUP) in an older Excel version that does not support it. Unlike #VALUE! or #REF!, #NAME? indicates a formula-authoring mistake — the formula was never going to compute correctly, even with perfect data.
How to fix #NAME?
- Read the formula in the formula bar and look for the text shown in purple or underlined — that is the part Excel cannot resolve.
- Check for typos in function names: delete the function name and begin retyping it to let Excel's IntelliSense autocomplete suggest the correct spelling.
- Check for unquoted text strings: every literal text value in a formula must be surrounded by double quotes ("yes", "N/A", "x").
- Check named ranges: go to Formulas ▸ Name Manager (Ctrl+
F3) and verify that every name used in the formula exists and covers the correct range. - If the formula uses a function not available in your Excel version (e.g.
XLOOKUPin Excel 2016), use an alternative likeVLOOKUPorINDEX/MATCH. - If you pasted a formula from the internet, look for smart/curly quotes (" ") or non-breaking spaces — replace them with straight quotes and regular spaces.
Read the formula in the formula bar and look for the text shown in purple or underlined — that is the part Excel cannot resolve.
Check for typos in function names: delete the function name and begin retyping it to let Excel's IntelliSense autocomplete suggest the correct spelling.
Check for unquoted text strings: every literal text value in a formula must be surrounded by double quotes ("yes", "N/A", "x").
Check named ranges: go to Formulas ▸ Name Manager (Ctrl+F3) and verify that every name used in the formula exists and covers the correct range.
If the formula uses a function not available in your Excel version (e.g. XLOOKUP in Excel 2016), use an alternative like VLOOKUP or INDEX/MATCH.
If you pasted a formula from the internet, look for smart/curly quotes (" ") or non-breaking spaces — replace them with straight quotes and regular spaces.
What this does
#NAME? means Excel cannot recognize something in a formula — it encountered a label it has no definition for. The four most common causes are: (1) a misspelled function name (e.g. "SUUM" instead of "SUM", "IFERROR" typed as "IFFEROR"); (2) a named range that does not exist or has been deleted; (3) text that should be in double quotes appearing without them (e.g. =COUNTIF(A:A, yes) instead of =COUNTIF(A:A, "yes")); (4) using a function from a newer Excel version (e.g. XLOOKUP) in an older Excel version that does not support it. Unlike #VALUE! or #REF!, #NAME? indicates a formula-authoring mistake — the formula was never going to compute correctly, even with perfect data. Most people learn this as a sequence of clicks and forget it by next week; learning it as a pattern instead is what lets you apply it to the next, slightly different version of the problem without starting from scratch. That is the difference this page is trying to make. For “#name error in excel”, the reliable version is a short checking loop, not just the first command that appears to work. Run it on a deliberately small range first, watch how the affected cells change, and only then apply the same setup to the full sheet. When this is a ribbon command, the selection matters more than the button: confirm the range, apply the command, then spot-check the output before saving. That is what makes a text operation that turns messy entries into clean, usable data useful in real work: repeatable, auditable, and not dependent on memory or luck.
A worked example
Scenario: you type =SOM(A1:A10) instead of =SUM(A1:A10). Excel immediately shows #NAME? because "SOM" is not a recognized function. To diagnose: read the formula bar carefully for typos. In the formula bar, start typing the function name — Excel's autocomplete (IntelliSense) will suggest the correct spelling. Another scenario: =COUNTIF(A:A, yes) — the text "yes" needs to be quoted: =COUNTIF(A:A, "yes"). A third scenario: a formula uses a named range "SalesTotal" that was renamed or deleted — use Formulas ▸ Name Manager to check all defined names. Fix #NAME? before distributing a workbook — it is the clearest signal of an authoring error. Unlike a wrong number (which may go unnoticed), #NAME? makes the formula visibly broken. Because it is always a formula mistake (never a data problem), resolving it once prevents every future user of the file from encountering the same broken cell. If there is any chance you will reuse this, drop it into a small template tab right now: a labelled input area on the left and the formula beside it, checked once against the tool above. Next time the same question comes up, the answer is a single paste away instead of a rebuild from memory.
In Google Sheets
If you are in Google Sheets rather than Excel, the good news is that the formula shown here is identical and the workflow barely changes — menus sit across the top instead of in a ribbon, and a few function names differ slightly, but anything you build here moves across with little or no rework. Keep this page bookmarked for the next time the same question comes up. Better still, rebuild the example once in your own sheet — doing it yourself, with the tool above to check against, is what turns a copied formula into a technique you own. The short version of “#name error in excel”: the answer is at the top of this page, the tool proves it on your own numbers, and the sections above explain why it holds so the next variation does not stump you. Excel rewards people who reference cells instead of typing values and who keep inputs separate from formulas, because that is what makes a result you can audit months later. Build it once, deliberately, with the live tool as a check, and you convert a one-off lookup into a reusable skill — which is the whole point of learning the why and not just the what.
Common mistakes
- Using the formula language of another locale — in German Excel, functions like SUMME, SVERWEIS, and WENN are the native names;
SUM,VLOOKUP, andIFproduce#NAME?unless the locale setting uses English formula names. - Referencing a named range with a typo — named range names are case-insensitive in Excel, but a single extra character (space, dash, letter) breaks the lookup entirely.
- Forgetting the ampersand when concatenating:
=A1&"text"is correct;="text"+A1produces#VALUE!but=CONCAT(A1,text)produces#NAME?because "text" is missing its quotes.
Frequently asked questions
Why does #NAME? appear after I copy a formula from a website?
Websites often use smart (curly) quotes (" ") or en-dashes instead of the plain ASCII characters Excel requires. Paste the formula into Notepad first to strip formatting, then copy-paste from Notepad into Excel. Also check that the function names match your Excel locale (e.g. German Excel uses SUMME, not SUM).
Does #NAME? always mean a misspelled function?
Not always. It also appears when a named range does not exist, when text is missing its double quotes, when a function requires an add-in that is not loaded (e.g. some Analysis ToolPak functions), or when a function is from a newer Excel version not available in your installation. Check all four causes systematically.
How do I quickly find all #NAME? errors in my workbook?
Use Ctrl+H (Find and Replace), search for "#NAME?", click Find All, and Excel lists every cell containing the error. Alternatively, Home ▸ Find & Select ▸ Go To Special ▸ Formulas ▸ Errors selects all error cells at once so you can review them.
Other ways people ask this
This is also commonly searched as “invalid name error in excel”, “name error excel”, “what does #name mean in excel” and “excel #name”. They describe the identical operation, so you are in the right place no matter how you phrased it.
Why do people search for this in so many different ways?
Because the same task has many names. “invalid name error in excel”, “name error excel”, “what does #name mean in excel” all point at the one operation explained on this page, which is why they all lead here.