How to generate month names as list in Python? [duplicate]

If you need to create a list of month names in Python, there are multiple ways to do it efficiently. Here are some of the best approaches:

1. Using the calendar Module (Recommended)

Python’s built-in calendar module provides an easy way to get month names:

import calendar

months = list(calendar.month_name)[1:]  # Skipping empty first element

print(months)

 Pros:

Uses a built-in module (no need to manually type month names).

Works with localization if needed.

2. Using a Hardcoded List (Simple but Manual)

If you don’t want to rely on external modules, you can manually create a list:

months = ["January", "February", "March", "April", "May", "June",

          "July", "August", "September", "October", "November", "December"]

print(months)

Pros:

Simple and straightforward.

  Cons:

Not ideal if you need localization or dynamic generation.

3. Using datetime with a Loop (Alternative Approach)

You can also extract month names dynamically using datetime:

from datetime import datetime

months = [datetime(2000, i, 1).strftime('%B') for i in range(1, 13)]

print(months)

 Pros:

Useful if you need formatted month names based on locale settings.

Which One Should You Use?

• For simplicity? Use a hardcoded list.
  
• For best practice? Use calendar.month_name.
  
• For localization? Use datetime with strftime().