the "name" associated with my email address has changed to my maiden name without consent

Question

I sometimes email interesting articles to myself in order to keep a copy. When typing in my own email address, the name associated with it (next to the coloured circle with my initials in it) has always been my full name as per my email address.

I went on a website regarding horses and entered that my late father bred one of the ponies on the website.#

The day after this, I tried to email myself an article but now the name associated with my email address (next to the coloured circle) now states my old maiden name. I haven't used that name since 1990 and never on the web. The only way "something" could have learned that name was from my dad's name on the horse article.

I have tried to change this maiden name or delete it but nowhere seems to be able to change it. Can anyone help before I throw my laptop out of the window ????

Answer 1

Hi, thanks for your reply. I had tried the obvious without success. Out of desperation, I finally managed to get through to Microsoft help. Their chap logged on to my laptop and managed to sort it finally!!! What was disconcerting was that I have not used my maiden name in over 30 years until I put into a website that my dad bred a particular pony. The site had published it's pedigree and named it's breeder. This tied his surname to me and then the issue with my maiden name on my email appeared. Big brother is becoming very disconcerting.

Answer 2

Hi,

Thank you for sharing your question. I completely understand how unsettling and confusing it feels when the name associated with your email address suddenly changes to an old maiden name you haven’t used in decades. It’s natural to worry something has gone wrong, especially when it appears without your consent.

Based on similar reports from other Outlook users, this type of change is almost always caused by a display name mismatch or cached data, not by hacking. Outlook can sometimes pull older names from auto‑complete history, device contacts, synced profiles, or cached suggestions, even when your Microsoft account profile still shows the correct name. Microsoft moderators explain that Outlook stores local name data for quicker suggestions, and if any source ever contained your old name, it can temporarily override your current display name until the cache refreshes.

You can resolve this by updating your Microsoft account display name at account.microsoft.com → Your info → Edit name, then clearing auto‑complete or cached contact data in the Outlook app. If you use Outlook on your phone, removing the incorrect auto‑suggestion and ensuring your mobile contacts don’t contain the older name also helps sync everything back to normal. Microsoft notes that name changes can take up to 24 hours to fully update across all apps and devices.

Before we continue, can you tell me whether the incorrect maiden name appears everywhere Outlook on the web, the Windows app, and your phone or only in one place? This will help determine whether the issue is due to account settings or a local device cache.

Feel free to follow up, and I’ll guide you step‑by‑step until your correct name is restored everywhere.

I hope this helps.

 

Best Regards,

Noel

Answer 3

Hi,

Unfortunately that all looks as it should but something has changed my name since I went on to the site that mentioned my father's surname.

I am struggling to actually find how to get through to anyone in Microsoft either chat or phone to resolve this. Can anyone give me a phone number for UK Microsoft support please????

Answer 4

It sounds like you're experiencing an issue with the display name associated with your email address in Outlook. To change the name that appears next to your email address, you can follow these steps:

1. Sign in to your Outlook account.
2. Go to your profile settings. Click on your profile icon in the top right corner and select View account.
3. Navigate to Your info. Here, you should see options to edit your personal information.
4. Change your display name. Update your display name to your preferred name and save the changes.

If the name still doesn't change after following these steps, it may be worth checking if there are any other linked accounts or aliases that might be causing this issue.

If you continue to have trouble, consider reaching out to Microsoft support for further assistance.

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References:

• How to change name of commenter in word. - Microsoft Q&A
• I WNAT TO CHANGE my name on microsoft learn - Microsoft Q&A