Why the Sender Name Might Not Appear in Gmail (and What You Can Do)

When you send an email to a prospect, the sender name should display correctly across most email clients. However, in Gmail, the sender name may occasionally not appear due to Gmail’s internal rules and filters.

Unfortunately, this behavior is controlled by Gmail and cannot be overridden on our end.

If it's the first message from a new domain or sender, Gmail may show only the email address to encourage caution. This is especially likely if the sender meets certain risk factors, such as a new or unverified domain, bulk sending behavior, or lack of sender reputation.

Tip: With our AI Email Service, you get a custom domain and mailboxes, along with free email warm-up. This helps establish a healthy sender reputation before launching your outreach campaigns.

2. "External" Label and Yellow Warning Icon

Gmail may hide the display name if it flags the message as coming from an external or potentially suspicious source. This is common with emails from unfamiliar domains and may include a yellow warning icon and the "External" label.

3. New Gmail Interface Behavior

In some versions of Gmail's newer interface, sender names might not be shown by default, especially for first-time or unverified senders. In many cases, the display name appears after the recipient replies or adds the sender as a contact.

4. Google Account Cache

Gmail (particularly within Google Workspace) may cache sender information. This means it might continue showing outdated or partial data even if the email headers have been updated.

→ Sender names often display correctly in the mobile app, even if hidden on desktop.

→ This helps rule out issues caused by local cache or browser extensions.

→ Gmail may start displaying the sender name after the recipient responds.

→ If other emails show the sender name correctly, feel free to share a screenshot or header information with us. We can help identify any differences in formatting.

→ This option reveals full email headers and can help pinpoint any formatting or encoding issues affecting how Gmail renders the sender name.

We're keeping a close eye on this and are happy to review any specific cases you encounter. Please feel free to reach out to our Customer Support and Customer Success teams anytime.