How to Convert a List to a pandas DataFrame

In this tutorial you will convert a Python list to a pandas DataFrame.

import pandas as pd

python_list = ['element1', 'element2', 'element3']

df = pd.DataFrame(python_list, columns=['column_name'])

Example 1: Convert a Simple List

Let's say, you want to convert the following list:

fishes = ['salmon', 'pufferfish', 'shark']

You can then use pandas to convert it to a DataFrame as follows:

import pandas as pd

df = pd.DataFrame(fishes, columns=['fish_name'])

Verify by printing the DataFrame:

print(df)

The output looks like this:

    fish_name
0      salmon
1  pufferfish
2       shark

Example 2: Convert a List of Lists

Let's say, you want to convert the following list of lists:

fishes_caught = [['salmon', 5], ['pufferfish', 1], ['shark', 0]]

To convert it into a DataFrame, use the following code:

import pandas as pd

df = pd.DataFrame(fishes_caught, columns=['fish_name', 'count'])

That's it! You just learned how to convert a Python list into a pandas DataFrame.