Does including a recipient's name in the 'To' field of an email improve deliverability?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 24 Jul 2025
Updated 16 Aug 2025
7 min read
Many email marketers and senders often debate the nuances of email deliverability, striving to ensure their messages reach the intended inboxes. One question that frequently arises is whether adding a recipient's actual name to the 'To' field, beyond just their email address, offers any tangible benefits for deliverability. It's a common practice for personalization, but its direct impact on how Internet Service Providers (ISPs) view an email isn't always clear.
The belief often stems from the idea that a more personalized email looks less like spam and more like a legitimate communication. While personalization undeniably boosts engagement metrics, which indirectly influence deliverability, the specific effect of including a name in the 'To' header warrants a closer look. Let's explore the technical aspects and practical implications.
The role of the 'To' field
When an email is sent, it carries various headers that provide information about the message, sender, and recipient. The 'To' header typically includes the recipient's email address, and optionally, a display name. For example, it might appear as John Doe <john.doe@example.com>. ISPs primarily focus on the email address itself for routing and authentication checks, not typically on the display name within the 'To' field. The display name is more for the end-user's benefit, making the email appear more friendly or familiar in their inbox.
Many email service providers (ESPs) and marketing automation platforms offer features to dynamically insert the recipient's name into the 'To' field. This is a common personalization technique that aims to improve open rates and engagement by making the email feel more tailored. The core deliverability mechanisms, such as SPF, DKIM, and DMARC, authenticate the sending domain and IP address, not the name in the 'To' field.
Example of an email To: header
To: John Doe <john.doe@example.com>
While some historical or niche spam filters might have inspected the 'To' field's display name for unusual patterns, such instances are exceedingly rare in modern email ecosystems. Today, the sophistication of spam filtering relies heavily on sender reputation, content analysis, and authentication protocols. For most major ISPs, the presence or absence of a recipient's name in the 'To' field has no direct bearing on whether an email lands in the inbox or the spam folder.
However, personalization can still play a role. When emails are opened, clicked, and moved out of spam folders by recipients, these positive engagement signals communicate to ISPs that your emails are desired. Over time, consistent positive engagement can build a stronger sender reputation, which is a critical factor in deliverability. So, while the name in the 'To' field doesn't directly improve deliverability, its ability to foster engagement can indirectly contribute to better inbox placement.
Personalization and deliverability
The primary benefit of including a recipient's name in the 'To' field is enhancing the user experience and increasing engagement. A personalized email often feels more relevant and less like a mass communication, which can lead to higher open rates and click-through rates. This type of personalization is distinct from the technical factors that determine whether an email gets delivered at all.
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) employ sophisticated algorithms to evaluate incoming emails. Their primary goal is to protect users from spam and malicious content. These algorithms prioritize signals like email authentication protocols, sender reputation, historical sending patterns, and complaint rates. While high engagement rates can positively influence sender reputation, the specific content of the 'To' field's display name is not a direct input into these complex deliverability calculations. Understanding email deliverability means focusing on the core signals.
Direct deliverability factors
Sender reputation: ISPs assign scores based on past sending behavior, spam complaints, and engagement. A strong reputation is key.
Authentication: Proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records prove your email is legitimate and authorized.
Content quality: Avoiding spammy keywords, broken links, and suspicious formatting reduces the likelihood of being flagged.
List hygiene: Regularly cleaning your list of invalid or inactive addresses prevents bounces and spam trap hits.
Personalization's indirect impact
Increased opens: Emails with personalized 'To' fields (or subject lines) can stand out in a crowded inbox, encouraging recipients to open.
Higher engagement: When recipients engage more (opens, clicks, replies), ISPs interpret this as a positive signal, strengthening your sender reputation.
Lower complaints: Personalized content can reduce the likelihood of recipients marking your emails as spam, which directly harms deliverability.
Subscriber retention: Personalization helps build a relationship with subscribers, keeping them engaged and less likely to churn.
Some platforms, like Iterable, suggest that customizing the 'To' field can help by confirming to ISPs that you know the recipient's first and last name. However, this is more aligned with establishing legitimacy through good practices rather than a direct deliverability signal. The key takeaway is that while it doesn't hurt, it's not a silver bullet for inbox placement.
Practical implications
Given that directly including a recipient's name in the 'To' field doesn't significantly alter how ISPs filter your emails, the decision to implement it often comes down to the user experience and the effort involved in data collection. If collecting names introduces too much friction in your signup process, it might be more beneficial to remove that step and focus on other, more impactful deliverability strategies.
If you already collect names and have a robust system for using them in your emails, then continue to do so. It can contribute to a positive user experience and indirectly support engagement, which benefits your sender reputation. If you're considering adding a name field to your signup forms solely for deliverability, I'd suggest prioritizing other factors first. Personalization in the email body or subject line is often more noticeable to the recipient anyway, leading to similar or better engagement boosts.
A/B testing for your audience
While general rules apply, every audience is unique. The best way to determine the impact of personalizing the 'To' field, or any other element, is to A/B test it with your specific subscribers. Monitor key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and, if possible, engagement metrics from Google Postmaster Tools or other postmaster services.
Some email services like Mailgun encourage including the recipient's name in the greeting as a best practice, which aligns with enhancing overall content quality and perceived legitimacy, rather than a specific 'To' field deliverability hack. Remember that a holistic approach to deliverability, covering technical setup, content, and list management, is always the most effective strategy.
Email element
Direct deliverability impact
Engagement impact
To field display name
Minimal to none (ISPs focus on email address)
Moderate (makes email feel personal)
Subject line
Indirect (via open rates influencing sender reputation)
High (can significantly boost opens)
Email body content
Indirect (via clicks, replies, and reduced spam complaints)
High (builds rapport, drives conversions)
From name
Indirect (via recognition and trust impacting opens)
High (first impression, crucial for recognition)
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Always prioritize collecting legitimate email addresses through opt-in methods to maintain a healthy sender reputation.
Use personalization in subject lines and email body content, as these areas are more impactful for recipient engagement.
Regularly monitor your email deliverability metrics and feedback loops to understand how your emails are performing.
Ensure your email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) is correctly configured; these are direct signals for ISPs.
Clean your email list periodically to remove inactive or invalid addresses, reducing bounces and spam trap hits.
Common pitfalls
Over-relying on the 'To' field name for deliverability, overlooking more critical technical factors and content quality.
Adding unnecessary friction to signup forms by requiring personal details that aren't truly utilized for personalization.
Assuming personalization in the 'To' field directly bypasses spam filters, which is not how modern filters operate.
Neglecting A/B testing personalization strategies, leading to missed opportunities or sub-optimal engagement.
Failing to adapt personalization tactics based on audience feedback and performance data.
Expert tips
If you have the recipient's name, use it; it doesn't harm deliverability and can boost engagement.
The impact of the 'To' field name is minimal compared to core deliverability factors like sender reputation and authentication.
Transient bounces are normal and don't necessarily indicate a deliverability problem, even for well-reputed senders.
Focus on the 'From' name and overall content quality for better recognition and trust, which significantly influence opens.
A/B test personalization elements to see what resonates best with your specific audience.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says personalization is beneficial for recipient engagement, and it should be continued.
2021-04-14 - Email Geeks
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says personalization might indirectly help engagement, which in turn might aid deliverability.
2021-04-14 - Email Geeks
Prioritizing true deliverability factors
Ultimately, while including a recipient's name in the 'To' field can enhance the user experience and potentially boost engagement, it's not a direct factor in email deliverability. ISPs and spam filters primarily rely on a sophisticated array of signals, including sender reputation, authentication records, and content quality, to determine inbox placement. Personalization indirectly supports deliverability by fostering positive engagement, which in turn strengthens your sender reputation.
For optimal email deliverability, focus on foundational best practices such as maintaining a clean email list, securing your sending domain with proper SPF, DKIM, and DMARC configurations, and creating valuable, relevant content that encourages interaction. These elements collectively have a much greater impact on whether your emails consistently reach the inbox.
If you are concerned about your emails landing in spam folders, consider using tools to check your blocklist (or blacklist) status and regularly monitor your DMARC reports. These proactive steps will yield far more significant results for your deliverability than relying on the 'To' field's display name.
