>When I do a member search for create a new thread to a member, I click the search icon, when I enter the first name Kevin, I never see Kevin McNeish name listed. The only way to see Kevin McNeish is to use the last name search, using McN because i can never remember the exact spelling.

There is 227 Kevin on the Universal Thread. So, all cannot be displayed on the same page. If you scroll next, you'll see him eventually. That is why, using the last name in this context is better.