diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/CommentThread.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/components/CommentThread.svelte
index 6796cc3f..1d5ce5e5 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/components/CommentThread.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/CommentThread.svelte
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import type { Comment } from '$lib/types';
 import MentionEditor from '$lib/components/MentionEditor.svelte';
 import { renderBody, extractContent } from '$lib/utils/mention';
 import { relativeTime } from '$lib/utils/time';
+import { getInitials } from '$lib/utils/personFormat';
 import type { MentionDTO } from '$lib/types';
 
 type Props = {
@@ -76,14 +77,6 @@ function isOwn(c: { authorId: string | null }): boolean {
 	return currentUserId !== null && c.authorId === currentUserId;
 }
 
-function getInitials(name: string): string {
-	return name
-		.split(/\s+/)
-		.slice(0, 2)
-		.map((w) => w.charAt(0).toUpperCase())
-		.join('');
-}
-
 function extractQuote(content: string): { quote: string | null; body: string } {
 	const match = content.match(/^>\s*"(.+?)"\s*\n\n?([\s\S]*)$/);
 	if (match) return { quote: match[1], body: match[2] };
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/DocumentMetadataDrawer.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/components/DocumentMetadataDrawer.svelte
index d057a993..a24a27d1 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/components/DocumentMetadataDrawer.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/DocumentMetadataDrawer.svelte
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 import { m } from '$lib/paraglide/messages.js';
 import { formatDate } from '$lib/utils/date';
 import { formatDocumentStatus } from '$lib/utils/documentStatusLabel';
-import { getInitials as calcInitials, personAvatarColor } from '$lib/utils/personFormat';
+import { getInitials, personAvatarColor } from '$lib/utils/personFormat';
 
 type Person = { id: string; firstName?: string | null; lastName: string; displayName: string };
 type Tag = { id: string; name: string };
@@ -32,10 +32,6 @@ let showAllReceivers = $state(false);
 
 const displayedReceivers = $derived(showAllReceivers ? receivers : visibleReceivers);
 
-function getInitials(person: Person): string {
-	return calcInitials(person);
-}
-
 function getFullName(person: Person): string {
 	return person.displayName;
 }
@@ -51,7 +47,7 @@ function getFullName(person: Person): string {
 			style="background-color: {personAvatarColor(person.id)}"
 			aria-hidden="true"
 		>
-			{getInitials(person)}
+			{getInitials(person.displayName)}
 		</span>
 		<span class="font-serif text-sm text-ink">{getFullName(person)}</span>
 	</a>
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/components/PersonChip.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/components/PersonChip.svelte
index 97796c00..89dd502a 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/components/PersonChip.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/components/PersonChip.svelte
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@ let { person, abbreviated }: Props = $props();
 
 const name = $derived(abbreviated ? abbreviateName(person) : person.displayName);
 const avatarColor = $derived(personAvatarColor(person.id));
-const initials = $derived(getInitials(person));
+const initials = $derived(getInitials(person.displayName));
 </script>
 
 <a
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/utils/personFormat.spec.ts b/frontend/src/lib/utils/personFormat.spec.ts
index 257dd02e..a53367dc 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/utils/personFormat.spec.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/utils/personFormat.spec.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 import { describe, it, expect } from 'vitest';
 import {
+	getInitials,
 	abbreviateName,
 	formatXsMeta,
 	personAvatarColor,
@@ -8,6 +9,30 @@ import {
 	statusLabel
 } from './personFormat';
 
+// ─── getInitials ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
+
+describe('getInitials', () => {
+	it('returns first chars of first and last word uppercased', () => {
+		expect(getInitials('Marcel Raddatz')).toBe('MR');
+	});
+
+	it('returns single char for a single-word name', () => {
+		expect(getInitials('Raddatz')).toBe('R');
+	});
+
+	it('returns empty string for an empty name', () => {
+		expect(getInitials('')).toBe('');
+	});
+
+	it('splits on whitespace only — hyphenated first word counts as one', () => {
+		expect(getInitials('Anna-Maria Raddatz')).toBe('AR');
+	});
+
+	it('ignores extra whitespace between words', () => {
+		expect(getInitials('  Karl   Raddatz  ')).toBe('KR');
+	});
+});
+
 // ─── abbreviateName ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 describe('abbreviateName', () => {
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/utils/personFormat.ts b/frontend/src/lib/utils/personFormat.ts
index 241339f3..d60023e0 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/utils/personFormat.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/utils/personFormat.ts
@@ -18,9 +18,11 @@ function djb2(str: string): number {
 	return Math.abs(hash);
 }
 
-export function getInitials(person: Person): string {
-	if (person.firstName) return `${person.firstName[0]}${person.lastName[0]}`.toUpperCase();
-	return person.lastName.substring(0, 2).toUpperCase();
+export function getInitials(name: string): string {
+	const words = name.trim().split(/\s+/).filter(Boolean);
+	if (words.length === 0) return '';
+	if (words.length === 1) return words[0].charAt(0).toUpperCase();
+	return (words[0].charAt(0) + words[words.length - 1].charAt(0)).toUpperCase();
 }
 
 export function abbreviateName(person: Person): string {