Named ranges as absolute references

By default, named ranges behave like absolute references and don’t change when you copy formulas.

In addition, they make your formulas easier to read.

Let’s take a look.

The first step is to create the named range.

We’ll use the name “hourly rate.”

Named ranges must begin with a letter and cannot contain spaces or punctuation.

Now we need to update our formulas to use the named range.

Because C6 is now a named range, Excel replaces C6 with the name “hourly rate.”

Now, we can just copy down the formula.

Like an absolute cell reference, the named range doesn’t change during the copy operation.

As an extra benefit, the named range makes the formula easier to read.