How to Retrieve Month Name from its Number in Python

Suppose you have the month number (e.g., 3) and want to obtain its corresponding name (e.g., March). Using Python, there's a straightforward solution for this task.

Using Datetime Module

Python's datetime module provides a method to obtain the month name. Here's how you can use it:

import datetime

# Get the current date
mydate = datetime.datetime.now()

# Retrieve the month name
month_name = mydate.strftime("%B")

# Print the month name
print(month_name)  # Output: December

By using the %B format code, you can get the full month name. For example:

• %B → December
• %b → Dec

If you want the short notation of the month name, use %b instead of %B.

Additional Resources

For more details on this topic, refer to the Python documentation website:

[Python Datetime strftime() Method](https://docs.python.org/3/library/datetime.html#strftime)

[EDIT] Thanks to @GiriB's insightful comment, you can also use the shorter notation by using the %b format code, which returns the abbreviated month name:

print(mydate.strftime("%b"))  # Output: Dec