diff --git a/app/models/profile.rb b/app/models/profile.rb
index f15586b..891e250 100644
--- a/app/models/profile.rb
+++ b/app/models/profile.rb
@@ -161,6 +161,8 @@ class Profile < ActiveRecord::Base
   validates_exclusion_of :identifier, :in => RESERVED_IDENTIFIERS
   validates_uniqueness_of :identifier
 
+  validates_length_of :nickname, :maximum => 16, :allow_nil => true
+
   before_create :set_default_environment
   def set_default_environment
     if self.environment.nil?
@@ -191,7 +193,7 @@ class Profile < ActiveRecord::Base
     true
   end
 
-  xss_terminate :only => [ :name, :address, :contact_phone ]
+  xss_terminate :only => [ :name, :nickname, :address, :contact_phone ]
 
   # returns the contact email for this profile. By default returns the the
   # e-mail of the owner user.
@@ -391,4 +393,12 @@ class Profile < ActiveRecord::Base
     TinyMceArticle.new(attrs)
   end
 
+  def display_name
+    if self[:nickname].blank?
+      self.name
+    else
+      self[:nickname]
+    end
+  end
+
 end
diff --git a/app/views/blocks/profile_info.rhtml b/app/views/blocks/profile_info.rhtml
index de0bc95..1ff4c3a 100644
--- a/app/views/blocks/profile_info.rhtml
+++ b/app/views/blocks/profile_info.rhtml
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 <div class="vcard">
 
-<h2 class="<%= profile.class == Person ? 'fn' : 'org' %>"><%= block.owner.name %></h2>
+<h2 class="<%= profile.class == Person ? 'fn' : 'org' %>"><%= block.owner.display_name %></h2>
 
 <div class="profile-info-picture">
   <div class="profile-info-picture-inner1">
diff --git a/app/views/profile_editor/_organization.rhtml b/app/views/profile_editor/_organization.rhtml
index 76cd26e..57fa906 100644
--- a/app/views/profile_editor/_organization.rhtml
+++ b/app/views/profile_editor/_organization.rhtml
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+  <div class="formfieldline">
+  <label class="formlabel" for="profile_data_nickname"><%= _('Display name') %></label>
+  <div class="formfield type-text">
+  <%= text_field_tag 'profile_data[nickname]', @profile_data.nickname, :id => 'profile_data_nickname', :size => 30, :maxlength => 16 %>
+  </div>
+  </div>
   <%= f.text_field(:acronym) %>
   <%= f.text_field(:foundation_year) %>
   <%= f.text_field(:contact_person) %>
diff --git a/app/views/profile_editor/_person.rhtml b/app/views/profile_editor/_person.rhtml
index 8d26681..5aec4f0 100644
--- a/app/views/profile_editor/_person.rhtml
+++ b/app/views/profile_editor/_person.rhtml
@@ -1,3 +1,4 @@
+  <%= f.text_field(:nickname, :maxlength => 16, :size => 30) %>
   <%= f.text_field(:name) %>
   <%= f.text_field(:contact_information) %>
   <%= f.text_field(:contact_phone) %>
--
libgit2 0.21.2