Split Full Name into First and Last Name in Power Query M

Splits a single Full Name column into separate First Name and Last Name columns at the first space.

Text TransformationsBeginnernamesplittextfirst last

Power Query M code

let
    Source = YourTable,
    AddedFirstName = Table.AddColumn(Source, "FirstName", each Text.BeforeDelimiter([FullName], " "), type text),
    AddedLastName = Table.AddColumn(AddedFirstName, "LastName", each Text.AfterDelimiter([FullName], " "), type text)
in
    AddedLastName

Notes

Names with a middle name will put everything after the first space into LastName; adjust if you need smarter handling.

Requirements

How to use this snippet

  1. In Power BI Desktop, choose Transform data to open Power Query, then open the Advanced Editor on a query (or start from a blank query).
  2. Paste the snippet and replace the placeholder names (tables, columns, file paths) with your own. Check the requirements above first.
  3. Run it through the Power Query M Formatter to tidy the layout.

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