Challenge: Copy across surname

[notyetnoob]

HI,

I have a list of 60,000 names in A column in different formats.

Example:
Mr John Smith
Mr and Mrs B & A Jones
Z Houlous

Given the massive amount of names and the myriad of different formats
of name using 'Test to Columns' and 'sorting' is not an option.

Is there a formulae or series of formuleas I could use to extract the
surnames, which will ALWAYS be the last name to the right. I thought
maybe an advanced lookup or something.

Anybody willing to accept the challenge?

Cheers

 

[Dave Peterson]

=RIGHT(A1,LEN(A1)-FIND("^^",SUBSTITUTE(A1," ",
"^^",LEN(A1)-LEN(SUBSTITUTE(A1," ","")))))

 

[notyetnoob]

Wow thanks Dave thats excellent....

Works a treat.. :