What Does “Excel” Mean in Microsoft Excel?

Every year, millions of individuals across the world utilize Microsoft Excel as part of Microsoft Office to create and maintain spreadsheets. But have you ever considered what the term "Excel" truly means? We'll go through its history. It's a marketing gimmick. According to Merriam-Webster, "excel" is a verb that implies "to be better to; to surpass in performance or success." So, when Microsoft chose to name a program that would imply excellence in performance and success, they scored a home run with "Microsoft Excel," which now has over 750 million active users.

Excel" most likely has two meanings. A "cell" is the most fundamental unit of data in a spreadsheet. When you start a blank spreadsheet in Microsoft Excel, you'll see small boxes in a grid layout. We haven't discovered any documentary proof of this (though there are lots of discussions online), but it can't be a coincidence that "Excel" sounds close to "cell" and also means "to be better." As a result, it's almost certainly a marketing pun. 

The History of the Excel Name

In 1983-1984, Microsoft began work on a new spreadsheet software that would compete with Lotus 1-2-3, which was considered the killer app for the IBM PC at the time. The project was given the code name "Odyssey," and the company chose to target the young Macintosh platform due to its GUI capabilities. What Was Apple's Mac OS 1.0 Like?

Roy A. Allen discussed the origins of the Excel name in A History of the Personal Computer (2001). "During 1984, Microsoft evaluated a variety of possible names for the sophisticated Odyssey spreadsheet project." Then Microsoft chose the name Excel that a branch manager had suggested.

We don't know who that person in charge was, but they chose a memorable name. Excel was published by Microsoft in September 1985, although there was no Windows version until 1987. (after Windows had matured somewhat). Lotus 1-2-3 didn't adapt quickly enough to Windows, and Excel jumped ahead with more user-friendly features, transforming it into the market behemoth we know of today, although Google Sheets has given it a run for its money.