If your iPhone or iPad is displaying contact names in an unusual order with the last name before the first name (or vice versa), you can fix this. Here’s how. This changes the way names are displayed in Mail, Messages, Phone, Contacts and other apps that match this setting.
First, open “Settings”
In Settings, scroll down and tap Contacts.
In the Contacts settings, tap Display Order.
At “Display Order” you have two choices. “First, Last” displays the first name, then the last name. “Last, First” displays the last name and then the first name. Choose the one you prefer.
The “Short Name” feature in Contacts settings also determines how you see names in apps like Mail. If “Short Name” is enabled, the app may only display a first name instead of the full name order you just set.
To check this, press Back once to return to the “Contacts” settings, then tap “Short name”.
By default, “Short name” is enabled. If you want to see a full name in the order you just chose instead, tap the switch to turn off “Short Name”.
Then tap Back once and close ‘Settings’.
The next time you use an app that pulls information from your contacts (like Apple’s Mail app), you’ll see the names in the order you just set. If you don’t see the changes yet, you may need to force restart the application first so it can reload the settings. To close an active app, launch the app switcher and swipe the app up and off the screen. Tap the app icon to restart it.
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