How to count number of occurrence in a column in Google sheet?

Supposing, you have a list of names in Column A of Google sheet, and now, you want to count how many times each unique name is appeared as following screenshot shown. This tutorial, I will talk about some formulas for solving this job in Google sheet.

Count number of occurrence in a column in Google sheet with helper formula

Count number of occurrence in a column in Google sheet with formula

Count number of occurrence in a column in Microsoft Excel:

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Count number of occurrence in a column in Google sheet with helper formula

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In this method, you can extract all the unique names from the column firstly, and then count the occurrence based on the unique value.

1. Please enter this formula: =UNIQUE(A2:A16) into a blank cell where you want to extract the unique names, and then press Enter key, all unique values have been listed as following screenshot shown:

Note: In above formula, A2:A16 is the column data that you want to count.

2. And then go on entering this formula: =COUNTIF(A2:A16, C2) beside the first formula cell, press Enter key to get the first result, and then drag the fill handle down to the cells you want to count the occurrence of the unique values, see screenshot:

Note: In above formula, A2:A16 is the column data that you want to count unique names from, and C2 is the first unique value you have extracted.

Count number of occurrence in a column in Google sheet with formula

You can also apply the following formula to get the result. Please do as this:

Please enter this formula: =ArrayFormula(QUERY(A1:A16&{"",""},"select Col1, count(Col2) where Col1 != '' group by Col1 label count(Col2) 'Count'",1)) into a blank cell where you want to put the result, then press Enter key, and the calculated result has been displayed at once, see screenshot:

Note: In above formula, A1:A16 is the data range which including the column header that you want to count.

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Q · 2 months ago
This is partly what I'm looking for.
Now my next issue is, how can I sort these so that I get them in desending order?
So it should be looking like this:
James 4
Nicol 3
Ruby 3
Lucy 2
Tom 2
John 1

Hope you can help with that as well
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  skyyang · 2 months ago
  
  Hi,
  If you want to sort the results in descending order, you just need to sort the data by the formula result column after getting the result.
  Hope it can help you!
  
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noguchiii · 5 months ago
VERY useful - thank you so much!
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Mel · 10 months ago
Thanks! Super useful!
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Guest · 11 months ago
When you drag the handle down to apply it to the rest of the values, it increments the search radius by 1. So if youre searching =COUNTIF(A1:A10,C1), when you drag the handle down, the second value will be =COUNTIF(A2:A11,C2).
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  Mikkel · 1 months ago
  
  You fix it this way
  =COUNTIF($A$2:$A$11,C2)
  
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