You can change the name format for the contacts in the main Microsoft Outlook Contact folder or any contact folders that you create. These folders are listed in the Outlook Address Book. However, you cannot change the name format for names in the Global Address List (GAL). For more information about the GAL, see the Why can't the name format for some contacts be changed? section.
Click the File tab.
Click Account Settings, and then click Account Settings.
Account Settings in the Backstage view
On the Address Books tab, in the Name list, click Outlook Address Book, and then click Change.
Under Outlook Address Books, click the address book that you want to change the contact display format for. For example, click Contacts: Mailbox – Mailbox name.
Under Show names by, click File As (Smith, John).
Click Close on the Microsoft Outlook Address Book and Account Settings dialog boxes.
Exit and restart Outlook.
Change individual contacts to last name, first name format
After you change the name format for existing contacts in the Outlook Address Book, the change applies to future entries that you create. However, occasionally not all your contacts are updated with the format change. In these cases, you must change the format for each contact.
In Contacts, double-click a contact that does not appear in the last name, first name format.
In the open contact, in the File as box, click the name in the last name, first name format. For example, click Smith, John.
On the Contact tab, in the Actions group, click Save & Close.
Repeat for each contact not displayed in the correct name format.
Note:
In a contact card, the Display Name for e-mail addresses is the name shown on the To, Cc, and Bcc lines of an e-mail message and also in the Address Book when you search for a contact. The Display Name is created based on how you type the contact's name in the Full Name box.
Company names in the Company box that start with The automatically appear under the next word in the name. For example, The Phone Company appears as Phone Company, The.