By default, we display the reviewer's full name (if available) in each review. However, you can change the name format to suit your preferences or branding needs.
How it works
When a customer submits a review, here’s how we determine what name will be shown publicly:
Customer submits a review, including their name.
On the form, the customer can optionally choose to post the review anonymously.
We will compare:
The customer’s choice (anonymous or not), and
Your store’s name format setting (full name, first name, initials,...)
We then choose the most privacy-protective option between the two.
Example scenarios:
Customer choice | Store setting | Public Display |
Posts anonymously | Full name | Anonymous |
Posts with full name | First name only | First name only |
To see both the submitted name and the displayed name:
From your Judge.me admin, go to Reviews.
On the left of the review, you will see the submitted name (what the customer entered when writing the review).
When hovering above that name, you'll also see the displayed name (what is shown publicly on your store, based on your store’s reviewer name format setting, and whether the reviewer chose to post anonymously).
Customize the reviewer name format
In the Review Widget (new version)
Available on the Free plan
To change how reviewer names appear across all reviews in the Review Widget (new version):
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Widgets > Review Widget.
Scroll down and open the Reviews section section.
Scroll down to Transparency and privacy.
Open the Reviewer name format dropdown.
Select one of the following options:
"Show full name (John Smith)"
"Shorten last name (John S.)"
"First name only (John)"
"Initials (J.S.)"
"Anonymous"
Click Save.
In the Review Widget (legacy version)
Available on the Awesome plan
To change how reviewer names appear across all reviews in the Review Widget (legacy version):
From your Judge.me admin, go to Settings > Widgets > Review Widget.
Scroll down and open the Review card details section.
Open the Reviewer name format dropdown.
Select one of the following options:
"Show full name" (John Smith)
"Shorten last name" (John S)
"First name only" (J. Smith)
"Initials" (J. S)
"Anonymous" (Anonymous)
Click Save.
While this setting is only available on the Awesome plan for the Review Widget (legacy version), you can upgrade to the Review Widget (new version) to access the setting on the Free plan.
Note:
If your store is in a non-Latin language (e.g. Japanese), we will only show 2 options: "Show full name" and "Anonymous".
How customers can update the name in their review
As a store owner, you cannot directly change a reviewer’s name or remove anonymity, but you can guide your customer to do it themselves.
Steps for your customer to update their name or name format:
Go to the Judge.me Reviews site.
Click Sign in on the top right.
Sign in using one of the following options:
Enter the email address they used to write the review and click Send Magic Link — we’ll email them a one-click sign-in link.
Or sign in instantly with their Google or Facebook account.
Once signed in, go to the My Reviews tab.
Find the review you want to update and click the Edit icon.
In the Update Review form, update their name or open the dropdown and select the preferred format.
Click Save to apply the changes.