diff --git a/common/static/common/js/discussion/views/discussion_content_view.js b/common/static/common/js/discussion/views/discussion_content_view.js
index 5876ee57c342..36ce1544769d 100644
--- a/common/static/common/js/discussion/views/discussion_content_view.js
+++ b/common/static/common/js/discussion/views/discussion_content_view.js
@@ -494,13 +494,25 @@
 
             DiscussionContentShowView.prototype.getAuthorDisplay = function() {
                 return _.template($('#post-user-display-template').html())({
-                    username: this.model.get('username') || null,
+                    username: this.getDisplayName(),
                     user_url: this.model.get('user_url'),
                     is_community_ta: this.model.get('community_ta_authored'),
                     is_staff: this.model.get('staff_authored')
                 });
             };
 
+            DiscussionContentShowView.prototype.getDisplayName = function() {
+                var firstName, lastName, displayName;
+                firstName = this.model.get('first_name');
+                lastName = this.model.get('last_name');
+                if (typeof firstName === 'undefined' || typeof lastName === 'undefined') {
+                    displayName = this.model.get('username');
+                } else {
+                    displayName = firstName + ' ' + lastName[0];
+                }
+                return displayName;
+            };
+
             DiscussionContentShowView.prototype.getEndorserDisplay = function() {
                 var endorsement;
                 endorsement = this.model.get('endorsement');
diff --git a/common/static/common/js/discussion/views/discussion_thread_list_view.js b/common/static/common/js/discussion/views/discussion_thread_list_view.js
index fc555efce692..b7a9795da38c 100644
--- a/common/static/common/js/discussion/views/discussion_thread_list_view.js
+++ b/common/static/common/js/discussion/views/discussion_thread_list_view.js
@@ -352,6 +352,7 @@
             };
 
             DiscussionThreadListView.prototype.renderThread = function(thread) {
+                this.getUserName(thread);
                 var threadCommentCount = thread.get('comments_count'),
                     threadUnreadCommentCount = thread.get('unread_comments_count'),
                     neverRead = !thread.get('read') && threadUnreadCommentCount === threadCommentCount,
@@ -369,6 +370,15 @@
                 return $(this.threadListItemTemplate(context).toString());
             };
 
+            DiscussionThreadListView.prototype.getUserName = function(thread) {
+                var firstName, lastName, displayName;
+                firstName = thread.get('first_name');
+                lastName = thread.get('last_name');
+                if (typeof firstName !== 'undefined' && typeof lastName !== 'undefined') {
+                    displayName = firstName + ' ' + lastName[0];
+                    thread.set('username', displayName);
+                }
+            };
             DiscussionThreadListView.prototype.threadSelected = function(e) {
                 var threadId;
                 threadId = $(e.target).closest('.forum-nav-thread').attr('data-id');
diff --git a/common/static/common/js/discussion/views/discussion_thread_view.js b/common/static/common/js/discussion/views/discussion_thread_view.js
index 041f68c9f0dd..fd3741487da9 100644
--- a/common/static/common/js/discussion/views/discussion_thread_view.js
+++ b/common/static/common/js/discussion/views/discussion_thread_view.js
@@ -393,6 +393,8 @@
                     body: body,
                     created_at: (new Date()).toISOString(),
                     username: window.user.get('username'),
+                    first_name: window.user.get('first_name'),
+                    last_name: window.user.get('last_name'),
                     votes: {
                         up_count: 0
                     },
diff --git a/common/static/common/js/discussion/views/thread_response_view.js b/common/static/common/js/discussion/views/thread_response_view.js
index 077c6cdefdec..acd923781498 100644
--- a/common/static/common/js/discussion/views/thread_response_view.js
+++ b/common/static/common/js/discussion/views/thread_response_view.js
@@ -193,6 +193,8 @@
                     body: body,
                     created_at: (new Date()).toISOString(),
                     username: window.user.get('username'),
+                    first_name: window.user.get('first_name'),
+                    last_name: window.user.get('last_name'),
                     abuse_flaggers: [],
                     user_id: window.user.get('id'),
                     id: 'unsaved'
diff --git a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/utils.py b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/utils.py
index 9c491798e759..037e8be8cc46 100644
--- a/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/utils.py
+++ b/lms/djangoapps/django_comment_client/utils.py
@@ -688,7 +688,7 @@ def prepare_content(content, course_key, is_staff=False, discussion_division_ena
     ]
 
     if (content.get('anonymous') is False) and ((content.get('anonymous_to_peers') is False) or is_staff):
-        fields += ['username', 'user_id']
+        fields += ['username', 'user_id', 'first_name', 'last_name']
 
     content = strip_none(extract(content, fields))
 
diff --git a/lms/lib/comment_client/thread.py b/lms/lib/comment_client/thread.py
index 2c859e36f560..7ad0dce43cc0 100644
--- a/lms/lib/comment_client/thread.py
+++ b/lms/lib/comment_client/thread.py
@@ -29,13 +29,15 @@ class Thread(models.Model):
         'highlighted_body', 'endorsed', 'read', 'group_id', 'group_name', 'pinned',
         'abuse_flaggers', 'resp_skip', 'resp_limit', 'resp_total', 'thread_type',
         'endorsed_responses', 'non_endorsed_responses', 'non_endorsed_resp_total',
-        'context', 'last_activity_at',
+        'context', 'last_activity_at', 'first_name', 'last_name'
     ]
 
     # updateable_fields are sent in PUT requests
     updatable_fields = [
         'title', 'body', 'anonymous', 'anonymous_to_peers', 'course_id', 'read',
-        'closed', 'user_id', 'commentable_id', 'group_id', 'group_name', 'pinned', 'thread_type'
+        'closed', 'user_id', 'commentable_id', 'group_id', 'group_name', 'pinned', 'thread_type',
+        'first_name', 'last_name'
+
     ]
 
     # metric_tag_fields are used by Datadog to record metrics about the model
diff --git a/lms/lib/comment_client/user.py b/lms/lib/comment_client/user.py
index b8c8b98ac9f6..c7cb54b5d351 100644
--- a/lms/lib/comment_client/user.py
+++ b/lms/lib/comment_client/user.py
@@ -15,10 +15,10 @@ class User(models.Model):
         'id', 'external_id', 'subscribed_user_ids', 'children', 'course_id',
         'group_id', 'subscribed_thread_ids', 'subscribed_commentable_ids',
         'subscribed_course_ids', 'threads_count', 'comments_count',
-        'default_sort_key'
+        'default_sort_key', "first_name", "last_name"
     ]
 
-    updatable_fields = ['username', 'external_id', 'default_sort_key']
+    updatable_fields = ['username', 'external_id', 'default_sort_key', 'first_name', 'last_name']
     initializable_fields = updatable_fields
 
     metric_tag_fields = ['course_id']
@@ -31,7 +31,9 @@ class User(models.Model):
     def from_django_user(cls, user):
         return cls(id=str(user.id),
                    external_id=str(user.id),
-                   username=user.username)
+                   username=user.username,
+                   first_name=user.first_name,
+                   last_name=user.last_name)
 
     def read(self, source):
         """