diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/person/PersonCard.svelte b/frontend/src/lib/person/PersonCard.svelte
index feb609ad..aed13bd4 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/person/PersonCard.svelte
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/person/PersonCard.svelte
@@ -8,27 +8,26 @@ type Person = components['schemas']['PersonSummaryDTO'];
 
 let { person }: { person: Person } = $props();
 
-// A card is "unconfirmed" when the importer could not identify the person: the explicit
-// provisional flag, the placeholder UNKNOWN type, or a literal "?" name from the spreadsheet.
-const isUnconfirmed = $derived(
-	person.provisional === true ||
-		person.personType === 'UNKNOWN' ||
-		person.lastName === '?' ||
-		(person.lastName ?? '').trim() === ''
-);
+// "Unconfirmed" is exactly the `provisional` flag — the authoritative signal the importer
+// sets and the triage flow clears. The badge, the "Zu prüfen (N)" count and the
+// /persons/review list all key off this same flag, so badge ⇔ count ⇔ triage can never drift.
+const isUnconfirmed = $derived(person.provisional === true);
 
-// A non-PERSON type (institution/group) gets a glyph; everything that is a real, confirmed
-// person gets initials. Unconfirmed persons never get a "?" initial — they get the neutral
-// placeholder glyph instead. Reading lastName[0] on a null/empty name would throw, so the
-// initials branch is gated on a non-empty name.
+// An empty / "?" last name is a separate, purely defensive concern: it must not crash the
+// initials branch (reading lastName[0] on null throws) and must never render a "?" initial.
+// It implies the placeholder glyph but — on its own — no "unbestätigt" badge.
+const hasNoName = $derived(person.lastName == null || person.lastName.trim() === '' || person.lastName === '?');
+
+// A non-PERSON type (institution/group) gets a typed glyph; a confirmed, named person gets
+// initials. Provisional entries and nameless entries fall back to the neutral placeholder glyph.
 const showGlyph = $derived(
-	isUnconfirmed || (person.personType != null && person.personType !== 'PERSON')
+	isUnconfirmed || hasNoName || (person.personType != null && person.personType !== 'PERSON')
 );
 
 const initials = $derived.by(() => {
 	const first = person.firstName?.[0] ?? '';
 	const last = person.lastName?.[0] ?? '';
-	return (first || last) + last;
+	return first ? first + last : last;
 });
 
 const documentCount = $derived(person.documentCount ?? 0);
@@ -43,7 +42,7 @@ const documentCount = $derived(person.documentCount ?? 0);
 		<div
 			class={[
 				'flex h-12 w-12 flex-shrink-0 items-center justify-center rounded-full font-serif text-base font-bold transition-colors',
-				isUnconfirmed ? 'bg-muted text-ink-2' : 'bg-primary text-primary-fg'
+				isUnconfirmed || hasNoName ? 'bg-muted text-ink-2' : 'bg-primary text-primary-fg'
 			]}
 		>
 			{#if showGlyph}
@@ -98,7 +97,6 @@ const documentCount = $derived(person.documentCount ?? 0);
 			<!-- State conveyed by text + the muted placeholder shape, never colour alone (WCAG 1.4.1). -->
 			<span
 				class="inline-flex items-center gap-1 rounded-full border border-line bg-muted px-2.5 py-0.5 font-sans text-xs font-semibold text-ink-2"
-				aria-label={m.person_badge_unconfirmed()}
 			>
 				<svg
 					class="h-3 w-3"
diff --git a/frontend/src/lib/person/PersonCard.svelte.test.ts b/frontend/src/lib/person/PersonCard.svelte.test.ts
index 8b50875e..a7cc7345 100644
--- a/frontend/src/lib/person/PersonCard.svelte.test.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/lib/person/PersonCard.svelte.test.ts
@@ -32,16 +32,18 @@ describe('PersonCard — confirmed person', () => {
 	});
 });
 
-describe('PersonCard — unconfirmed / malformed (regression: null-lastName crash)', () => {
+describe('PersonCard — unconfirmed badge keys off provisional only (badge ⇔ count ⇔ triage parity)', () => {
 	it('renders without throwing when lastName is null', async () => {
-		// Before the fix, `lastName[0]` threw at render for a null lastName.
+		// Before the fix, `lastName[0]` threw at render for a null lastName. Empty-name
+		// crash-safety is a SEPARATE concern from the badge: the placeholder glyph renders
+		// regardless, but the "unbestätigt" badge only fires when provisional is true.
 		const person = makePerson({
 			lastName: null as unknown as string,
 			displayName: '?',
 			provisional: true
 		});
 		render(PersonCard, { props: { person } });
-		// No throw + the placeholder avatar (an <img>) is present, never a "?" initial.
+		// No throw + provisional → the badge is shown.
 		await expect.element(page.getByText('unbestätigt')).toBeVisible();
 	});
 
@@ -50,17 +52,36 @@ describe('PersonCard — unconfirmed / malformed (regression: null-lastName cras
 		await expect.element(page.getByText('unbestätigt')).toBeVisible();
 	});
 
-	it('shows a placeholder (no "?" initial) for a "?" name', async () => {
+	it('does NOT show the badge for a "?" name when not provisional', async () => {
+		// Empty/"?" name alone is no longer treated as unconfirmed — only `provisional` is.
+		// This keeps the badge in lockstep with needsReviewCount and the /persons/review list.
 		render(PersonCard, {
-			props: { person: makePerson({ firstName: undefined, lastName: '?', displayName: '?' }) }
+			props: {
+				person: makePerson({ firstName: undefined, lastName: '?', displayName: '?' })
+			}
 		});
-		await expect.element(page.getByText('unbestätigt')).toBeVisible();
+		await expect.element(page.getByText('unbestätigt')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
 	});
 
-	it('treats an UNKNOWN type as unconfirmed', async () => {
+	it('does NOT show the badge for an UNKNOWN type when not provisional', async () => {
 		render(PersonCard, {
 			props: { person: makePerson({ personType: 'UNKNOWN', displayName: 'Unklar' }) }
 		});
-		await expect.element(page.getByText('unbestätigt')).toBeVisible();
+		await expect.element(page.getByText('unbestätigt')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
+	});
+
+	it('renders the placeholder glyph (never a "?" initial) for an empty name even without provisional', async () => {
+		// Crash-safety branch: a null/empty lastName must not throw and must not show "?".
+		render(PersonCard, {
+			props: {
+				person: makePerson({
+					firstName: undefined,
+					lastName: null as unknown as string,
+					displayName: 'Unbekannt'
+				})
+			}
+		});
+		await expect.element(page.getByText('Unbekannt')).toBeVisible();
+		await expect.element(page.getByText('unbestätigt')).not.toBeInTheDocument();
 	});
 });