text in col d to numeral in col c

[kmc]

I have a list of repetitive words in col d that I would like to have associated with a constant numeral in col c.
example
col c col d
1 jones
1 jones
1 jones
2 smith
2 smith

The number of occurance for each similar text, however is variable. I may have 5 or 25 rows of the same word.

Currently, I add the numerals in col c manually, how can I automate this task? I've attempted using vlookup, but my since I am not using col a, I am not sure how to run it. thanks

 

[Domenic]

Assuming that D2:D30 contains the data, try...

C2, copied down:

=IF(D2<>D1,SUM(C1,1),C1)

Hope this helps!

 

[Scott Huish]

If the names are in D2 and downward, perhaps in C2:

=SUM(C1,D2<>D1)

Copy down.

Book1
	C	D	E	F
1	number	name
2	1	jones
3	1	jones
4	1	jones
5	2	smith
6	2	smith
7	3	white
8	3	white
9	4	brown
Sheet1

 

[kmc]

Thank you both,
Domemic, your solution seems to be on the right track, with just a bit of tweeking. My list of items in col d does not correspond with the same alphabetic sequence in the solution. The list is a credit/debit sumamry of which I wish to catagorize based on a 25 catagory list I have. So in col d I have the alphbatized list, and in col c I want a constant numeral to match each occurance of the item.
So for each occurance of "jones" or "harris" or "thomas" in d I want the number "2" to be reflected in col c. Each "smith" or "jacks"would reflect a "4", and so on. Another way of looking at this is I have the occurances and subcategories in col d and I wish to group them into larger catagories in col c.

thank you

 

[Scott Huish]

OK,
I have made a table in H1:I5

Formula in C2:
=IF(ISNUMBER(MATCH(D2,$H$1:$H$5,0)),VLOOKUP(D2,$H$1:$I$5,2,0),"")

Copy down.

Book1
	C	D	E	F	G	H	I
1	number	name				jones	1
2	1	jones				harris	1
3	4	smith				thomas	1
4	1	harris				smith	4
5	1	thomas				jacks	4
Sheet1

 

[kmc]

thanks Hot pepper for the attempt. I attempted your solution and got nothing in H1:I15. I not very savy with programming, but it would seem that I need some sort of fill in the blank "IF...then" as you do not know my categories. Does that help? Perhaps I am not being clear enough.
pls advise.

 

[Domenic]

...I need some sort of fill in the blank "IF...then" as you do not know my categories....

It seems to me that HOTPEPPER has done that exactly. He's provided a table, H1:I5, where he lists the corresponding values for each name. Then, with your list of names in Column D, starting at D2, his formula is entered in C2 and copied down. The formula will return the corresponding values for each name in Column C according to the table in H1:I5.

Hope this helps!

 

[kmc]

I only needed to read it over about 10 times. Hotpepper my apologies for not following your example. Domenic, thank you for your clarifiying info. Success has been achieved!