VBA MonthName Function: Simplifying Month Retrieval in Excel

In coding, particularly when working with Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) in Excel, the manipulation of date and time data is a common task. For report generation and data analysis, the ability to extract meaningful parts from a date, like the month’s name, is incredibly useful. The VBA MONTHNAME function serves this precise purpose, providing a straightforward way to convert a numerical month value into its corresponding textual name.

Having the capability to call on the MONTHNAME function simplifies the process of making data more readable and user-friendly. Instead of displaying a sequence of numbers, I can present a clear and recognizable month name within any VBA-enabled spreadsheet. It’s an elegant solution to a common problem, enhancing both functionality and aesthetic appeal in data presentation.

Syntax

MonthName(Month, [Abbreviate])

• Month: I’m the numeric representation (1-12).
• Abbreviate (optional): Set me to True for a short version of the month.

Arguments

Parameter	Type	Description	Default
month	Integer	The month’s integer value, between 1 and 12.	N/A
abbreviate	Boolean	Dictates if the month should be abbreviated (TRUE) or not (FALSE).	FALSE

• month: It’s the number that represents the month. For instance, 1 for January, 2 for February, and so on up to 12 for December.
• abbreviate: Optional. Set it to TRUE if you want a shortened month name like “Jan”. If you skip it or set it to FALSE, you get the full month name like “January”.

Example

In my VBA adventures, I found a neat trick with the MonthName function. Check this out:

Sub example_MONTHNAME()
    Range("B1").Value = MonthName(Range("A1"), False)
End Sub

Imagine A1 has the value 1. Running this macro, “January” pops up in B1. Let’s switch things up with a few more runs:

• Example 1:
  
  Range("A1") = 4 → “April”
• Example 2:
  
  MonthName(7, True) → “Jul”
• Example 3:
  
  MonthName(12) → “December”

Notes

• Excel Versions: Works with Excel 2007 through Excel 2016, including Excel 2011 for Mac.
• Month Names: I can use MonthName to get the full or abbreviated name of a month.
• Syntax Importance: A valid integer between 1-12 is necessary to avoid errors.
• Integration with Other Functions: It pairs well with DateSerial and DateDiff.
• Debugging Tips: Use Debug.Print in VBA to output values in the immediate window for testing.

Month Integer	Full Month Name	Abbreviated Name
1	January	Jan
2	February	Feb
3	March	Mar
4	April	Apr
5	May	May
6	June	Jun
7	July	Jul
8	August	Aug
9	September	Sep
10	October	Oct
11	November	Nov
12	December	Dec

• Error Handling: I ensure that the month value is correct to avoid a run-time 13 error.