This is page 3 of a 5-page demo about using Joomla's "category blog" to display stuff in a grid format.
Out of the Box- Everything Hidden - Grid of Names - Grid of Images - Catblog with Cards
Suppose you just want a grid of names, sorted by surname...
Start the articles titles with the surname, add the name just above "read more" at the beginning of the article, and set the menu-item to sort by article title. Although this way the names are not clickable. If you want them to be clickable, you could add the link to the name manually. Or show the titles instead. Or... use images.
Dave Davies
Ray Davies
George Harrison
Mick Jagger
John Lennon
Manfred Mann
Paul McCartney
Graham Nash
Peter Noone
Keith Richards
Ringo Starr
Rod Stewart