Why does email From Name display as sending domain instead of custom name?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 27 Jul 2025
Updated 19 Aug 2025
6 min read
It can be frustrating to send an email expecting your chosen From Name to appear, only to find the recipient sees your raw sending domain or email address instead. This isn't just an aesthetic issue, it can impact how your recipients perceive your brand and whether they even open your messages. Many factors can influence this behavior, ranging from simple configuration oversights to complex deliverability challenges.
Understanding why this happens is crucial for ensuring your emails consistently display the intended sender information and maintain a professional appearance.
The From: header and its nuances
The From Name, or display name, is the human-readable name associated with the sender's email address. For example, instead of seeing info@example.com, you'd see Example Company Support. This name is defined within the email's From: header, which contains both the display name and the email address. While seemingly straightforward, mail clients (Mail User Agents or MUAs) can interpret this header differently, leading to inconsistencies.
Standard From: Header Format
From: "Your Name" <your.email@yourdomain.com>
The RFC 5322 standard dictates how the From: header should be structured, including the friendly name and email address. However, not all email clients strictly adhere to this, and some may prioritize other information, such as cached contact names or even the envelope sender, over the friendly name specified in the header. For a more detailed look into how these fields are defined, you can review our guide on the standard terms for email sending domains.
When the From Name isn't displayed correctly, it can lead to confusion for recipients and diminish trust. A professional and recognizable sender name is a critical component of strong email branding and deliverability.
Why the custom name might not appear
Several factors contribute to whether your chosen From Name displays correctly or if it defaults to the sending domain. These range from simple setup errors to how recipient mailboxes handle incoming mail.
Configuration errors: Sometimes, the problem stems from how the email client or sending platform is configured. If the From Name field is left blank, or an incorrect format is used, the recipient's client may simply show the email address.
Recipient's mail client behavior: Different Mail User Agents (MUAs) like Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail may have their own rules. For instance, some clients might cache a sender's name from a previous interaction or address book entry and display that instead of the name in the current email's header. In some instances, Gmail might display your email address if it suspects a discrepancy or lacks trust.
Sender reputation: If your domain has a low sender reputation or is a new sender, mailbox providers might display the bare email address or domain as a trust signal to the recipient. This is often the case with generic From Names like 'info', 'support', or 'sales', which can trigger suspicion. Our article on how sender name impacts deliverability dives deeper into this.
In some cases, the recipient's mail client (e.g., Outlook) may choose to display the envelope-from address, which is primarily used for bounce handling, instead of the From: header that contains your chosen friendly name. This is particularly common when emails originate from outside their organization, impacting how your name appears in an Office 365 environment.
If your email authentication isn't robust, mailbox providers (like Google) might decide not to display your friendly From Name. They do this to protect recipients from potential phishing and spoofing. This is particularly relevant if your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are not correctly set up or are failing alignment checks.
Impact on deliverability and trust
When your From Name displays as the sending domain, it's often a signal that mailbox providers or receiving email clients have not fully trusted the sender, or that there's a misconfiguration. This can lead to your emails being perceived as less legitimate.
Typical problems
Lack of trust: If your domain has a new or low reputation, mailbox providers may strip the friendly name.
Poor authentication: Missing or misconfigured SPF, DKIM, or DMARC records can lead to authentication failures.
Generic From Names: Using names like 'Support' or 'Info' can be seen as less trustworthy and might be overridden.
Client-side caching: Recipient's email client may use a previously saved contact name over the current email's From Name.
Solutions
Improve sender reputation: Send consistent, valuable emails to engaged recipients. Avoid high bounce rates and spam complaints. You can learn more about why emails go to spam.
Strengthen authentication: Ensure SPF, DKIM, and DMARC are correctly implemented and aligned. Our free DMARC record generator can help.
Use specific names: Use a clear, specific From Name, ideally your brand name or a person's name, e.g., 'Suped Support' instead of 'Support'.
Test across clients: Send test emails to various mailbox providers and clients to observe display consistency. Our email deliverability tester can assist with this.
It's important to differentiate between issues caused by your sender reputation and those due to recipient client behavior. While you control your sending practices and configurations, how a recipient's specific email client (like Gmail or Outlook) displays the From Name can also be influenced by their internal settings or cached contact information. As discussed on SuperUser, the display name is sometimes determined by the sender's address book entry.
Important: sender name and deliverability
While the display name itself doesn't directly affect technical deliverability, an email showing only the sending domain can be a strong indicator of underlying deliverability issues, such as poor sender reputation or failed authentication. Recipients are less likely to open emails from an unrecognized domain, increasing the chances of bounces or spam complaints. Always ensure your sender name matches your email for consistency.
Troubleshooting and preventing display issues
To troubleshoot and prevent your From Name from defaulting to the sending domain, you should follow a systematic approach. It typically involves checking your email configuration, reviewing email headers, and monitoring your sender reputation.
Step
Action
Details
1
Verify email setup
Check your email client or sending platform settings. Ensure the 'From Name' field is correctly populated and not left blank. For Gmail, confirm your 'Send mail as' name is set. For Microsoft 365, ensure your display name is properly configured.
2
Inspect raw headers
Retrieve the raw email headers of a problematic message. Look for the From: field and confirm it contains both the desired friendly name and the email address, e.g., "My Name" <my.email@domain.com>. Pay attention to any special characters or encoding issues.
3
Check email authentication
Verify your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records. Use a blocklist checker to ensure your IP or domain isn't on any significant blacklists, which can affect trust. In some cases, Apple Mail might show the email address instead of the name if authentication is weak.
Consistency across all sending methods is key. If you're using multiple email sending services (e.g., your regular email client, a marketing automation platform, or a transactional email API), ensure the From Name configuration is consistent across all of them. This reduces the chance of confusion for recipients and helps maintain a cohesive brand identity.
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Always specify a clear, professional From Name in your email sending settings.
Ensure your SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records are correctly set up and aligned.
Test emails across various providers like Gmail, Outlook, and Apple Mail.
Common pitfalls
Leaving the From Name field blank or using generic terms like 'noreply'.
Having misconfigured or missing email authentication records.
Ignoring low engagement metrics, which can impact sender trust.
Expert tips
Regularly monitor your DMARC reports for authentication failures and alignment issues.
Consider a unique, recognizable From Name that stands out in the inbox.
Be aware that new sending domains may take time to build sufficient trust to display the From Name consistently.
Expert view
Expert from Email Geeks says that to accurately diagnose why the From Name isn't displaying, you should always start by examining the raw email headers, specifically the 'From:' header, to see how it's formatted.
2024-05-14 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks indicates that for new domains, sometimes the From Name will display correctly only after the recipient has opened the first email, with subsequent emails showing the actual From Name.
2024-05-14 - Email Geeks
Ensuring your From Name always displays correctly
The display of your From Name as a sending domain rather than a custom name is a common email deliverability challenge. It's rarely a single issue but rather a combination of configuration, recipient mail client behavior, and sender reputation.
By meticulously checking your email setup, ensuring robust authentication, and consistently building a strong sender reputation, you can significantly increase the likelihood that your emails will consistently display your intended From Name, fostering trust and improving engagement with your recipients.
Gmail, 
Outlook, and 
Apple Mail may have their own rules. For instance, some clients might cache a sender's name from a previous interaction or address book entry and display that instead of the name in the current email's header. In some instances, 
Gmail might display your email address if it suspects a discrepancy or lacks trust.
Office 365 environment.
