Instead of using the actual name in your formula, put the names in separate
cells, say A10:A15. If "Claire" is in A10, your formula should read

=countif(b$1:b$8,A10)

Notice that the B1:B8 address has been modifed, too.

This formula you can drag down/fill

"Rachael F" wrote:

I have a worksheet that contains the dates on which an user has logged on to
a computer network - sample data below:

Date User
22/1 Rachael
22/1 Sue
22/1 Claire
22/1 Sam
23/1 Sue
24/1 Rachael
24/1 Sue
25/1 Claire

I have used the countif formula to count the number of times that an user
(Claire)has logged on:

Claire =countif(b1:b8,"Claire")
Sue
Rachael
Sam

I would like to copy this formula for all users without needing to change
the name for each of the copied formulas. Can/should I use data fill to do
this?

Many thanks.

Rachael