Your Gmail display name appears alongside your email address when you send messages. Life changes, job roles, brands, or surnames can make an old display name incorrect.
You can update your Google Account name from Android or iPhone, while Gmail on the web also allows you to set the name that appears specifically on outgoing email.
Related Article: How to Recover Lost Contacts from a Google Account
Key Takeaways
- Gmail display name is different from your email address.
- Android and iPhone can update your Google Account name.
- Gmail on the web allows you to change the sender name used for outgoing email.
- Some eligible Google Accounts can now also change their Gmail address, although this feature is still rolling out.
Change Your Gmail Display Name on Android, iOS, and Web
The name shown when you send an email is different from your Gmail address.
Google also distinguishes between your Google Account name and the name Gmail uses when sending email.
Changing your Google Account name can affect how your name appears across Google services, while Gmail provides a separate sender-name setting on the web.
Check Your Current Google Account Name
To check your Google Account name:
- Open Gmail or another Google service.
- Click or tap your profile picture.
- View the name and email address shown for your account.
If you want to change the name used across Google services, edit your Google Account profile.
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Change Your Google Account Name on Android
Changing the name from Android updates your Google Account profile rather than Gmail’s separate web sender-name setting.
Follow these steps:
- Open Gmail or another Google app.
- Tap your profile picture.
- Select Manage your Google Account.
- Open Personal info.
- Tap Name.
- Tap the edit option beside your current name.
- Enter the name you want to use.
- Tap Save.
Google says changes to your account name may take some time to appear across all Google products.
Change Your Google Account Name on iPhone or iPad
You can also update your Google Account name from an iPhone or iPad.
- Open the Gmail app.
- Tap your profile picture.
- Select Manage your Google Account.
- Open Personal info.
- Tap Name.
- Edit your name.
- Tap Save.
You can also manage the same information through your Google Account in a web browser.
This changes the Google Account profile name and may affect how your name appears across several Google services.
Change Gmail Sender Display Name on Web
If you want to change the name recipients see specifically when you send email from Gmail, Google says this setting must be changed from Gmail on a computer.
You cannot change this Gmail sender name directly from the Gmail mobile app.
Follow these steps:
- Open Gmail on a computer.
- Click the Settings gear icon.
- Select See all settings.
- Open the Accounts and Import or Accounts tab.
- Find the Send mail as section.
- Click Edit info beside your email address.
- Enter the name you want recipients to see.
- Click Save Changes.
New emails you send should use the updated sender name.
Changing this setting does not change the Gmail address itself.
Gmail Display Name vs Google Account Name
These two names can be different.
Your Google Account name is associated with your wider Google profile and can appear across multiple Google services.
Your Gmail sender name is the name displayed with outgoing Gmail messages.
If your Google Account name is correct but recipients still see an old name on new Gmail messages, check the Send mail as setting in Gmail on the web.
Also remember that a recipient may still see a different name if they have saved your email address under another name in their own contacts.
Can You Change Your Gmail Address?
Google has started allowing some eligible users to change a Google Account email ending in @gmail.com to another available @gmail.com address.
The feature is being rolled out gradually, so it may not yet be available for every account.
To check on Android:
Settings → Google → Manage your Google Account → Personal info → Email → Google Account email
On iPhone or iPad, open Gmail and go to:
Profile picture → Manage your Google Account → Personal info → Email → Google Account email
If the setting cannot be opened or edited, your account may not currently be eligible to change its Gmail address.
This is separate from changing your Gmail display name.
Google Workspace Accounts
If your Gmail account is provided by a company, school, or another organization, some profile or email settings may be controlled by the Google Workspace administrator.
If you cannot change your name or account information, contact your organization’s administrator.
The End Note
Changing your Gmail Display Name is different from changing your email address.
On Android and iPhone, you can update your Google Account profile name through Manage your Google Account → Personal info → Name.
For the sender name shown specifically on outgoing Gmail messages, use Gmail on a computer and go to Settings → See all settings → Accounts and Import → Send mail as → Edit info.
Google is also gradually rolling out the ability for eligible users to change one @gmail.com address to another, but that option is separate from the display-name setting and may not be available for every account.
