diff --git a/toxcore/Messenger.c b/toxcore/Messenger.c
index 07893e02..b712d142 100644
--- a/toxcore/Messenger.c
+++ b/toxcore/Messenger.c
@@ -346,17 +346,18 @@ static int m_sendname(Messenger *m, int friendnumber, uint8_t *name, uint16_t le
     return write_cryptpacket_id(m, friendnumber, PACKET_ID_NICKNAME, name, length);
 }
 
-/* Set the name of a friend.
+/* Set the name and name_length of a friend.
  *
  *  return 0 if success.
  *  return -1 if failure.
  */
-static int setfriendname(Messenger *m, int friendnumber, uint8_t *name)
+static int setfriendname(Messenger *m, int friendnumber, uint8_t *name, uint16_t len)
 {
     if (friend_not_valid(m, friendnumber))
         return -1;
 
-    memcpy(m->friendlist[friendnumber].name, name, MAX_NAME_LENGTH);
+    m->friendlist[friendnumber].name_length = len;
+    memcpy(m->friendlist[friendnumber].name, name, len);
     return 0;
 }
 
@@ -1027,7 +1028,7 @@ int Messenger_load(Messenger *m, uint8_t *data, uint32_t length)
     for (i = 0; i < num; ++i) {
         if (temp[i].status >= 3) {
             int fnum = m_addfriend_norequest(m, temp[i].client_id);
-            setfriendname(m, fnum, temp[i].name);
+            setfriendname(m, fnum, temp[i].name, temp[i].name_length);
             /* set_friend_statusmessage(fnum, temp[i].statusmessage, temp[i].statusmessage_length); */
         } else if (temp[i].status != 0) {
             /* TODO: This is not a good way to do this. */
diff --git a/toxcore/tox.c b/toxcore/tox.c
index 83b19e9b..54bbd9f0 100644
--- a/toxcore/tox.c
+++ b/toxcore/tox.c
@@ -184,7 +184,7 @@ uint16_t tox_getselfname(void *tox, uint8_t *name, uint16_t nlen)
 /* Get name of friendnumber and put it in name.
  * name needs to be a valid memory location with a size of at least MAX_NAME_LENGTH (128) bytes.
  *
- *  return 0 if success.
+ *  return length of name (with the NULL terminator) if success.
  *  return -1 if failure.
  */
 int tox_getname(void *tox, int friendnumber, uint8_t *name)