Use the gender API in Google Sheets
Add gender evidence to a working sheet without exporting rows by hand. Choose the add-on for an interactive workflow or Apps Script when the logic must be repeatable.
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Choose the add-on or a script
The add-on is designed for analysts who want to select a name column, optionally select a country column and write results back without maintaining code. Apps Script is the better fit when enrichment belongs to a repeatable menu action or a controlled workflow with custom rules.
Both approaches should write more than a gender label. Include probability, confidence, evidence count and source so reviewers can filter uncertain rows and understand where an answer came from. A neutral unknown value should remain visible rather than becoming an empty cell that looks like a broken formula.
For very large sheets, export or upload the file through the dashboard. Spreadsheet add-ons have execution limits, while the batch workflow is built to process a file outside the interactive Sheets session.
Protect the key when a sheet is shared
A credential stored in spreadsheet-visible cells, formulas or document properties may be accessible to collaborators. Use a key that can be revoked, limit who can edit the script, and treat a shared copy of the workbook as a possible copy of its configuration.
For organisation-wide use, call the API through a small backend that owns the key and authenticates sheet users. This adds work, but it prevents every workbook from becoming a separate secret store and gives you one place for limits, retries and audit logs.
Never publish a sheet template containing a live key. Replace it with an explicit placeholder and provide setup instructions that lead each user to their own credential.
Process ranges, not individual recalculations
A custom function that calls an external service once per cell can rerun unpredictably when Sheets recalculates. Read a bounded range, deduplicate name-country pairs, make bulk requests and write a rectangular result range in one operation instead.
Persist progress when a script spans several chunks. If execution time ends, the next run should resume from a stored boundary. Record validation failures in a review column rather than retrying the same malformed value on every run.
Use the country column only when it reflects a genuine population context. A sheet locale or editor location is not a substitute for the country attached to the record. When no reliable country exists, leave it blank and retain probability in the output.
Questions
Do I need to write Apps Script?
No. The add-on provides an interactive workflow. Apps Script is available when you need custom repeatable logic.
Where is the API key stored?
Storage depends on the chosen workflow. Assume document-scoped configuration may be shared and use a revocable key.
Why not use one custom formula per row?
Recalculation can repeat external requests and hit execution limits. Range-based bulk processing is more predictable.
What should I do with a very large sheet?
Upload the exported CSV/XLSX file through the dashboard, which processes it outside the Sheets execution window.
Related pages
Add gender, probability and evidence columns to an Excel or CSV file. Upload and download without code, or connect Excel Power Query to the REST API.
Upload a CSV or XLSX name list and get a gender column back, with confidence fields, automatic deduplication and the cost shown before charging.
Append a gender column to a customer list, CRM export or lead database, with a confidence field you can filter on and no monthly credit expiry.
A walkthrough for analysts: upload a name list, pick the right columns, read the confidence fields, and decide what to do with the rows that come back empty.
Reading the gender field alone discards everything that says whether to believe it. What each response field means and the thresholds behind confidence.
Check it against your own list
Every number on this page is reproducible with a free key. If your data breaks it, that is the more interesting result.