Sort Names by Last Name

If a line contains a comma, the part before the comma is the last name (Smith, John). Otherwise the last word is the surname, together with any surname particles right before it (van, von, de, da, del, la, ten and similar). Titles at the start and suffixes such as Jr., Sr., III and PhD are set aside so they do not change the order.

Conventions differ. Many English-language indexes keep lowercase particles with the surname and file van Gogh under V, while Dutch and some library styles file it under G. Use the Ignore particles option to choose. Whatever you choose, apply it consistently through the whole list.

Yes. Suffixes are recognized with or without a comma (John Smith Jr. or John Smith, Jr.) and are kept with the name. When two people share the same name, Sr. sorts before Jr., then II, III and IV.

Choose Last, First Middle as the output format. John Ronald Smith Jr. becomes Smith, John Ronald, Jr., which is the usual form for rosters, bibliographies and mailing lists.

Without a comma the tool cannot know that a surname has two words, so García Márquez would be sorted under Márquez. Write such names as “García Márquez, Gabriel” and the whole surname before the comma is used.

Yes. Sorting uses locale-aware comparison that treats É like E and a like A, and numbers inside names are compared numerically.

No. Sorting happens entirely in your browser, so names never leave your device.

Yes! Every tool on our site undergoes automated Q/A testing in real browser environments to ensure high precision, correct output, and zero errors. If you happen to spot a bug or have a suggestion, please contact us at [email protected] and our team will review it right away.