How can I combine text columns into one display value in SQLite?

Join the columns with SQLite’s || operator, and put a space between them:

SELECT
  first_name || ' ' || last_name AS display_name
FROM contacts;

For example, suppose the table contains these invented rows:

first_name | last_name
Mina       | Bekele
Jon        | Park

The query returns:

display_name
Mina Bekele
Jon Park

The AS display_name part labels the combined result; it does not change either stored column. SQLite’s || joins its operands as text. [S1]

No. In SQLite, an operand that is NULL makes the concatenation result NULL, so first_name || ' ' || last_name returns NULL if either name is NULL. It does not automatically retain the available name. [S1]

For instance, with first_name = 'Ari' and last_name = NULL, the basic expression produces NULL—not Ari. Decide how you want incomplete names displayed, then handle missing values explicitly.

Use a CASE expression to choose the appropriate result for each situation:

SELECT
  CASE
    WHEN first_name IS NULL THEN COALESCE(last_name, '')
    WHEN last_name IS NULL THEN first_name
    ELSE first_name || ' ' || last_name
  END AS display_name
FROM contacts;

With these invented rows:

first_name | last_name | display_name
Ari        | NULL      | Ari
NULL       | Chen      | Chen
Mina       | Bekele    | Mina Bekele
NULL       | NULL      |

Here, both missing names display as an empty value. That is a choice made by this example, not a universal rule: if your application needs a label such as Name unavailable, use that value in the both-missing branch instead. SQLite’s documentation recommends explicitly handling NULL, for example with COALESCE or CASE; it does not prescribe your display policy. [S1]

Try the query against a few rows that cover complete, first-name-only, last-name-only, and both-missing cases. Confirm the output matches your display choice, including what an empty name should look like. If the result is for a screen or report, you can also give the expression a clear alias such as display_name and select only the columns you need.

The example assumes the columns are named first_name and last_name and that a single space is the desired separator. Replace those names or the separator to suit your schema. The cited SQLite reference establishes how || and NULL interact and suggests explicit handling; it does not establish your application’s preferred label or formatting.