Sumif part of the string is in the cell

[Manuel]

How can I sum data from groups of cells with common names.
I need those common names to be taken as an individual
during the sum.

Thanks

 

[Peo Sjoblom]

Add something when you enter them so they differ from each other.
If you have 10 John Smith in a column how would excel know they are
different,
AFAIK you have to add a number (or another character) to the cell itself
or use a help column with unique keys for each person..

For instance assume you have 10 different John Smith in A1:A10, insert a new
column B and number it like 1,2,3 etc. then assume the values are in C1:C10,
now use

=SUMPRODUCT((A1:A10="John Smith")*(B1:B10=2),C1:C10)

of course for better usability you would change the hard coded name in the
formula to a cell reference so you can change it easier..