diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/plugin-api.js.es6 b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/plugin-api.js.es6
index 4f5c0a021df..44b14378600 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/plugin-api.js.es6
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/lib/plugin-api.js.es6
@@ -24,9 +24,10 @@ import { replaceFormatter } from 'discourse/lib/utilities';
 import { modifySelectKit } from "select-kit/mixins/plugin-api";
 import { addGTMPageChangedCallback } from 'discourse/lib/page-tracker';
 import { registerCustomAvatarHelper } from 'discourse/helpers/user-avatar';
+import { disableNameSuppression } from 'discourse/widgets/poster-name';
 
 // If you add any methods to the API ensure you bump up this number
-const PLUGIN_API_VERSION = '0.8.19';
+const PLUGIN_API_VERSION = '0.8.20';
 
 class PluginApi {
   constructor(version, container) {
@@ -387,6 +388,16 @@ class PluginApi {
     registerCustomAvatarHelper(fn);
   }
 
+  /**
+   * Allows you to disable suppression of similar username / names on posts
+   * If a user has the username bob.bob and the name Bob Bob, one of the two
+   * will be suppressed depending on prioritize_username_in_ux.
+   * This allows you to override core behavior
+   **/
+  disableNameSuppressionOnPosts() {
+    disableNameSuppression();
+  }
+
   /**
    * Changes a setting associated with a widget. For example, if
    * you wanted small avatars in the post stream:
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/widgets/poster-name.js.es6 b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/widgets/poster-name.js.es6
index 3fc5c0ee2af..41eeb1a4f8b 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/widgets/poster-name.js.es6
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/discourse/widgets/poster-name.js.es6
@@ -3,8 +3,12 @@ import { createWidget } from 'discourse/widgets/widget';
 import { h } from 'virtual-dom';
 import { formatUsername } from 'discourse/lib/utilities';
 
-function sanitizeName(name){
-  return name.toLowerCase().replace(/[\s_-]/g,'');
+let sanitizeName = function(name){
+  return name.toLowerCase().replace(/[\s\._-]/g,'');
+};
+
+export function disableNameSuppression() {
+  sanitizeName = name => name;
 }
 
 createWidget('poster-name-title', {