So the record is a "code", like "THX 1138", and you want to see something more user friendly like "Robert" in the pull-down menu?
Can you shift the code to another column? Probably the easiest solution I know of. If you're using that code as a reference for linked tables, you can add a look-up field maybe? You can also concatenate the primary record field with a formula that combines your code and the easier to view description.