diff --git a/indra/newview/llvoavatar.cpp b/indra/newview/llvoavatar.cpp
index d295fc60cd2b8ce5af2ce6c1ee3dca68d9c7f2af..a3093f069dbb92ef4106b35f81b86b2bc1263f34 100644
--- a/indra/newview/llvoavatar.cpp
+++ b/indra/newview/llvoavatar.cpp
@@ -675,7 +675,7 @@ LLVOAvatar::LLVOAvatar(const LLUUID& id,
 	mBelowWater(FALSE),
 	mLastAppearanceBlendTime(0.f),
 	mAppearanceAnimating(FALSE),
-	mNameString(),
+    mNameIsSet(false),
 	mTitle(),
 	mNameAway(false),
 	mNameDoNotDisturb(false),
@@ -3096,8 +3096,7 @@ void LLVOAvatar::idleUpdateNameTagText(BOOL new_name)
 	}
 
 	// Rebuild name tag if state change detected
-	if (mNameString.empty()
-		|| (mNameString.size() == 2 && mNameString[0] == 10 && mNameString[1] == 10) // *TODO : find out why mNameString is sometimes ""
+	if (!mNameIsSet
 		|| new_name
 		|| (!title && !mTitle.empty())
 		|| (title && mTitle != title->getString())
@@ -3292,17 +3291,16 @@ void LLVOAvatar::addNameTagLine(const std::string& line, const LLColor4& color,
 	{
 		mNameText->addLine(line, color, (LLFontGL::StyleFlags)style, font);
 	}
-	mNameString += line;
-	mNameString += '\n';
+    mNameIsSet |= !line.empty();
 }
 
 void LLVOAvatar::clearNameTag()
 {
-	mNameString.clear();
+    mNameIsSet = false;
 	if (mNameText)
 	{
 		mNameText->setLabel("");
-		mNameText->setString( "" );
+		mNameText->setString("");
 	}
 	mTimeVisible.reset();
 }
diff --git a/indra/newview/llvoavatar.h b/indra/newview/llvoavatar.h
index c59a3a150c4ba57ba9510e7fceb2822743dfccd2..9f1f209920860b68609715a63fe23eaea514c1f1 100644
--- a/indra/newview/llvoavatar.h
+++ b/indra/newview/llvoavatar.h
@@ -939,7 +939,7 @@ class LLVOAvatar :
 	static void		getAnimLabels(LLDynamicArray<std::string>* labels);
 	static void		getAnimNames(LLDynamicArray<std::string>* names);	
 private:
-	std::string		mNameString;		// UTF-8 title + name + status
+    bool            mNameIsSet;
 	std::string  	mTitle;
 	bool	  		mNameAway;
 	bool	  		mNameDoNotDisturb;