diff --git a/app/models/user.rb b/app/models/user.rb
index 6503881a3..e16d70670 100644
--- a/app/models/user.rb
+++ b/app/models/user.rb
@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ class User < ApplicationRecord
   belongs_to :account
   belongs_to :identity, optional: true
 
+  validates :name, presence: true
+
   has_many :comments, inverse_of: :creator, dependent: :destroy
 
   has_many :filters, foreign_key: :creator_id, inverse_of: :creator, dependent: :destroy
diff --git a/app/models/user/named.rb b/app/models/user/named.rb
index aa4f9b585..d052a79ad 100644
--- a/app/models/user/named.rb
+++ b/app/models/user/named.rb
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ module User::Named
 
   def familiar_name
     names = name.split
-    return name if names.length == 1
+    return name if names.length <= 1
     "#{names.first} #{names[1..].map { |n| "#{n[0]}." }.join}"
   end
 end
diff --git a/test/controllers/signup/completions_controller_test.rb b/test/controllers/signup/completions_controller_test.rb
index 1b788ce31..a1319d868 100644
--- a/test/controllers/signup/completions_controller_test.rb
+++ b/test/controllers/signup/completions_controller_test.rb
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ class Signup::CompletionsControllerTest < ActionDispatch::IntegrationTest
     assert_response :redirect, "Valid params should redirect"
   end
 
-  test "create with invalid params" do
+  test "create with blank name" do
     untenanted do
       post signup_completion_path, params: {
         signup: {
@@ -38,6 +38,9 @@ class Signup::CompletionsControllerTest < ActionDispatch::IntegrationTest
       }
     end
 
-    assert_response :unprocessable_entity, "Invalid params should return unprocessable entity"
+    assert_response :unprocessable_entity
+    assert_select ".txt-negative" do
+      assert_select "li", text: "Full name can't be blank"
+    end
   end
 end
diff --git a/test/models/user_test.rb b/test/models/user_test.rb
index 645e3a386..9e5d2bde9 100644
--- a/test/models/user_test.rb
+++ b/test/models/user_test.rb
@@ -39,6 +39,27 @@ class UserTest < ActiveSupport::TestCase
     assert_equal "ÉLH", User.new(name: "Éva-Louise Hernández").initials
   end
 
+  test "name methods handle blank names gracefully" do
+    user = User.new(name: "")
+    assert_equal "", user.familiar_name
+    assert_nil user.first_name
+    assert_nil user.last_name
+    assert_equal "", user.initials
+  end
+
+  test "validates name presence" do
+    user = User.new(account: accounts("37s"), role: "member", name: "")
+    assert_not user.valid?
+    assert_includes user.errors[:name], "can't be blank"
+
+    user.name = "   "
+    assert_not user.valid?
+    assert_includes user.errors[:name], "can't be blank"
+
+    user.name = "Victor Cooper"
+    assert user.valid?
+  end
+
   test "setup?" do
     user = users(:kevin)