diff --git a/irc/accounts.go b/irc/accounts.go
index b0d0ee29..3603ac87 100644
--- a/irc/accounts.go
+++ b/irc/accounts.go
@@ -39,7 +39,8 @@ const (
 	keyAccountChannels         = "account.channels %s" // channels registered to the account
 	keyAccountJoinedChannels   = "account.joinedto %s" // channels a persistent client has joined
 	keyAccountLastSeen         = "account.lastseen %s"
-	keyAccountModes            = "account.modes %s" // user modes for the always-on client as a string
+	keyAccountModes            = "account.modes %s"    // user modes for the always-on client as a string
+	keyAccountRealname         = "account.realname %s" // client realname stored as string
 
 	keyVHostQueueAcctToId = "vhostQueue %s"
 	vhostRequestIdx       = "vhostQueue"
@@ -127,7 +128,13 @@ func (am *AccountManager) createAlwaysOnClients(config *Config) {
 		account, err := am.LoadAccount(accountName)
 		if err == nil && account.Verified &&
 			persistenceEnabled(config.Accounts.Multiclient.AlwaysOn, account.Settings.AlwaysOn) {
-			am.server.AddAlwaysOnClient(account, am.loadChannels(accountName), am.loadLastSeen(accountName), am.loadModes(accountName))
+			am.server.AddAlwaysOnClient(
+				account,
+				am.loadChannels(accountName),
+				am.loadLastSeen(accountName),
+				am.loadModes(accountName),
+				am.loadRealname(accountName),
+			)
 		}
 	}
 }
@@ -650,6 +657,27 @@ func (am *AccountManager) loadLastSeen(account string) (lastSeen map[string]time
 	return
 }
 
+func (am *AccountManager) saveRealname(account string, realname string) {
+	key := fmt.Sprintf(keyAccountRealname, account)
+	am.server.store.Update(func(tx *buntdb.Tx) error {
+		if realname != "" {
+			tx.Set(key, realname, nil)
+		} else {
+			tx.Delete(key)
+		}
+		return nil
+	})
+}
+
+func (am *AccountManager) loadRealname(account string) (realname string) {
+	key := fmt.Sprintf(keyAccountRealname, account)
+	am.server.store.Update(func(tx *buntdb.Tx) error {
+		realname, _ = tx.Get(key)
+		return nil
+	})
+	return
+}
+
 func (am *AccountManager) addRemoveCertfp(account, certfp string, add bool, hasPrivs bool) (err error) {
 	certfp, err = utils.NormalizeCertfp(certfp)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -874,6 +902,9 @@ func (am *AccountManager) Verify(client *Client, account string, code string) er
 			am.server.RandomlyRename(currentClient)
 		}
 	}
+	if client.AlwaysOn() {
+		client.markDirty(IncludeRealname)
+	}
 	return nil
 }
 
diff --git a/irc/client.go b/irc/client.go
index a26a3915..59dbc036 100644
--- a/irc/client.go
+++ b/irc/client.go
@@ -364,7 +364,7 @@ func (server *Server) RunClient(conn IRCConn) {
 	client.run(session)
 }
 
-func (server *Server) AddAlwaysOnClient(account ClientAccount, chnames []string, lastSeen map[string]time.Time, uModes modes.Modes) {
+func (server *Server) AddAlwaysOnClient(account ClientAccount, chnames []string, lastSeen map[string]time.Time, uModes modes.Modes, realname string) {
 	now := time.Now().UTC()
 	config := server.Config()
 	if lastSeen == nil && account.Settings.AutoreplayMissed {
@@ -385,6 +385,7 @@ func (server *Server) AddAlwaysOnClient(account ClientAccount, chnames []string,
 		realIP:      utils.IPv4LoopbackAddress,
 
 		alwaysOn: true,
+		realname: realname,
 	}
 
 	client.SetMode(modes.TLS, true)
@@ -1706,6 +1707,7 @@ const (
 	IncludeChannels uint = 1 << iota
 	IncludeLastSeen
 	IncludeUserModes
+	IncludeRealname
 )
 
 func (client *Client) markDirty(dirtyBits uint) {
@@ -1777,6 +1779,9 @@ func (client *Client) performWrite(additionalDirtyBits uint) {
 		}
 		client.server.accounts.saveModes(account, uModes)
 	}
+	if (dirtyBits & IncludeRealname) != 0 {
+		client.server.accounts.saveRealname(account, client.realname)
+	}
 }
 
 // Blocking store; see Channel.Store and Socket.BlockingWrite
diff --git a/irc/client_lookup_set.go b/irc/client_lookup_set.go
index 26544453..45737b90 100644
--- a/irc/client_lookup_set.go
+++ b/irc/client_lookup_set.go
@@ -225,12 +225,10 @@ func (clients *ClientManager) SetNick(client *Client, session *Session, newNick
 			client.server.stats.AddRegistered(invisible, operator)
 		}
 		session.autoreplayMissedSince = lastSeen
-		// XXX SetNames only changes names if they are unset, so the realname change only
-		// takes effect on first attach to an always-on client (good), but the user/ident
-		// change is always a no-op (bad). we could make user/ident act the same way as
-		// realname, but then we'd have to send CHGHOST and i don't want to deal with that
-		// for performance reasons
-		currentClient.SetNames("user", realname, true)
+		// TODO: transition mechanism for #1065, clean this up eventually:
+		if currentClient.Realname() == "" {
+			currentClient.SetRealname(realname)
+		}
 		// successful reattach!
 		return newNick, nil, back
 	} else if currentClient == client && currentClient.Nick() == newNick {
diff --git a/irc/getters.go b/irc/getters.go
index a5762f69..2f9cb848 100644
--- a/irc/getters.go
+++ b/irc/getters.go
@@ -375,7 +375,11 @@ func (client *Client) SetMode(mode modes.Mode, on bool) bool {
 func (client *Client) SetRealname(realname string) {
 	client.stateMutex.Lock()
 	client.realname = realname
+	alwaysOn := client.alwaysOn
 	client.stateMutex.Unlock()
+	if alwaysOn {
+		client.markDirty(IncludeRealname)
+	}
 }
 
 func (client *Client) Channels() (result []*Channel) {
@@ -428,6 +432,13 @@ func (client *Client) UpdateActive(session *Session) {
 	session.lastActive = now
 }
 
+func (client *Client) Realname() string {
+	client.stateMutex.RLock()
+	result := client.realname
+	client.stateMutex.RUnlock()
+	return result
+}
+
 func (channel *Channel) Name() string {
 	channel.stateMutex.RLock()
 	defer channel.stateMutex.RUnlock()
diff --git a/irc/handlers.go b/irc/handlers.go
index 95fd396c..773fb253 100644
--- a/irc/handlers.go
+++ b/irc/handlers.go
@@ -2565,6 +2565,11 @@ func sceneHandler(server *Server, client *Client, msg ircmsg.IrcMessage, rb *Res
 // SETNAME <realname>
 func setnameHandler(server *Server, client *Client, msg ircmsg.IrcMessage, rb *ResponseBuffer) bool {
 	realname := msg.Params[0]
+	if realname == "" {
+		rb.Add(nil, server.name, "FAIL", "SETNAME", "INVALID_REALNAME", client.t("Realname is not valid"))
+		return false
+	}
+
 	client.SetRealname(realname)
 	details := client.Details()