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CSV Name Splitter: Full Name to First and Last Name

Many exports, form tools and spreadsheets give you one "Name" column, while most CRMs have separate First Name and Last Name fields. Splitting by the first space breaks on "Dr. Maria de la Cruz" or "Smith, John". Load your file below and the splitter handles the common cases and flags the rest. It runs in your browser and your file is never uploaded.

Why split names before an import

Pipedrive, for example, says people require a name, or a first name and last name, and that items missing mandatory fields won't be imported (source: https://support.pipedrive.com/en/article/importing-data-into-pipedrive-with-spreadsheets). Separate first and last names also let you greet people by first name in emails, and make duplicate checks more reliable.

How the splitter works

• Titles at the start (Mr, Mrs, Ms, Dr, Prof, Rev) go into a Title column.
• Suffixes at the end (Jr, Sr, II, III, PhD, MD, Esq) go into a Suffix column.
• "Last, First" names such as "Smith, John" are flipped to John Smith.
• Surname particles such as van, von, de, del, da and di stay with the last name, so "Ludwig van Beethoven" becomes Ludwig / van Beethoven.
• Middle names stay with the first name ("Mary Ann Lee" becomes Mary Ann / Lee).
• Case: ALL CAPS and all-lowercase names are changed to Title Case if you leave the box ticked. Names already in mixed case are left alone, so "McDonald" and "DeShawn" are kept.

What gets flagged

• One-word names, which might be a first name only or a company.
• Names with "&" or "and", which are often two people ("John and Mary Smith").
• Long names with four or more words, where the split is a best guess.

Look at the flagged rows by hand. Names from many cultures do not follow the first-name, last-name pattern, so no rule set is right every time. For important records, ask the person.

After splitting

1. Delete the original Name column or keep it as a reference, then map First Name and Last Name in your CRM's import.
2. Check emails with the CSV email validator and run the whole file through the CRM data quality score.

FAQ

Which column does it use?

The column you name, or the first column with "name" in its header.

Is my file uploaded?

No. The file is read by JavaScript in your browser. Nothing is sent to us or anyone else, and nothing is kept after you close the tab.

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