This blog is a collection of my technical notes from working with information systems, not intended for the general public. However, Facebook’s user interface has become so convoluted that even simple tasks require a bit of technical knowledge and patience.
Previously, there was a dropdown menu in Facebook’s profile settings that allowed you to change the order of your names, letting you choose between “Bill Gates” or “Gates Bill”. Later, it seems it was replaced by a button called Change Order of Name. Now, it has disappeared as well.
The trick is really simple: you’ll find this option after pressing the Review change button in the name change form within the Accounts Center. (There are plenty of tutorials out there explaining how to get there).
After pressing Review change, you’ll be presented with a form that lets you adjust the order of your names—exactly what you need:
However, on Facebook, nothing is ever simple. If all you want is to change the order of your names—without actually changing the names themselves—the Review change button will remain inactive. The only workaround I’ve found is to introduce a minor change to any of the names to activate the button. Just keep in mind: once you make this change, you won’t be able to revert it for 60 days.