How to Sort Contacts by Last Name on Android

Everyone has her/his own habit to recognize a contact from their Phone list, either by first name or by last name. Though mobile phone manufacturers are trying their best to make products with customized features to attract more buyers, it is impossible for they to cater to everyone's  interest. However, it is always an easy and clever solution to provide multiple choices when people have different taste. If your manufacturer is not that considerate, third-party apps can still save you a lot of time.

Sort Contacts by Last Name on Samsung Galaxy S8/S7

 As one of the giants on smartphone market, Samsung usually makes its flagship devices excellent, especially the Galaxy series. On Samsung Galaxy S7/S8, users can set to sort contacts by first name or last name and display contacts by first name first or last name first. If you have a motorola, HTC, LG or other Android handset, you may also check if there is such a function on your device.
Step 1. Open Contacts app.

Step 2. Tap Menu (usually three-dot icon) > Settings > Contacts > Sort by

Step 3. Choose Last name.

Note: After the setting, the contacts are still displayed as First name + Last name. You can set to display List name before First name on Display contacts by option.

Sort Contacts by Last Name with Third-Party App

In case your stock Contacts app doesn't provide options to sort by last name and display last name first, you may try some third-party apps. The advantage is that those third-party Contacts apps usually allow high customization. The disadvantage is that there might exist conflict between the stock Contacts and third-party one. Since sorting by last name is only a small part of a good Contacts app, here we suggest that you try it by yourself and find the best one for you.