diff --git a/lib/hooks/ens-cache.js b/lib/hooks/ens-cache.js
new file mode 100644
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/hooks/ens-cache.js
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+// @flow
+
+import * as React from 'react';
+
+import { ENSCacheContext } from '../components/ens-cache-provider.react';
+import { userIdentifiedByETHAddress } from '../shared/account-utils';
+import { stringForUser } from '../shared/user-utils';
+import type { RelativeMemberInfo } from '../types/thread-types';
+import type { RelativeUserInfo } from '../types/user-types';
+
+function useStringForUser(
+  user: ?(RelativeUserInfo | RelativeMemberInfo),
+): ?string {
+  const rawStringForUser = user ? stringForUser(user) : null;
+  const [ensName, setENSName] = React.useState<?string>(null);
+
+  const ethAddress = React.useMemo(() => {
+    if (
+      !user ||
+      user.isViewer ||
+      !user.username ||
+      !userIdentifiedByETHAddress(user)
+    ) {
+      return null;
+    }
+    return user.username;
+  }, [user]);
+
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    // Whenever the ETH address changes, clear out ENS name before requery below
+    setENSName(null);
+  }, [ethAddress]);
+
+  const cacheContext = React.useContext(ENSCacheContext);
+  const { ensCache } = cacheContext;
+  React.useEffect(() => {
+    if (!ethAddress || !ensCache) {
+      return;
+    }
+    let cancelled = false;
+    (async () => {
+      const result = await ensCache.getNameForAddress(ethAddress);
+      if (result && !cancelled) {
+        setENSName(result);
+      }
+    })();
+    return () => {
+      cancelled = true;
+    };
+  }, [ethAddress, ensCache]);
+
+  return ensName ?? rawStringForUser;
+}
+
+export { useStringForUser };
diff --git a/lib/shared/account-utils.js b/lib/shared/account-utils.js
--- a/lib/shared/account-utils.js
+++ b/lib/shared/account-utils.js
@@ -81,6 +81,14 @@
     : false;
 }
 
+function userIdentifiedByETHAddress(
+  userInfo: ?{ +username?: ?string, ... },
+): boolean {
+  return userInfo?.username
+    ? isValidEthereumAddress(userInfo?.username)
+    : false;
+}
+
 export {
   usernameMaxLength,
   oldValidUsernameRegexString,
@@ -91,4 +99,5 @@
   invalidSessionRecovery,
   validHexColorRegex,
   accountHasPassword,
+  userIdentifiedByETHAddress,
 };
diff --git a/lib/shared/message-utils.js b/lib/shared/message-utils.js
--- a/lib/shared/message-utils.js
+++ b/lib/shared/message-utils.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 import _maxBy from 'lodash/fp/maxBy';
 import _orderBy from 'lodash/fp/orderBy';
 
+import { useStringForUser } from '../hooks/ens-cache';
 import { userIDsToRelativeUserInfos } from '../selectors/user-selectors';
 import type { PlatformDetails } from '../types/device-types';
 import type { Media } from '../types/media-types';
@@ -33,7 +34,6 @@
 import { codeBlockRegex, type ParserRules } from './markdown';
 import { messageSpecs } from './messages/message-specs';
 import { threadIsGroupChat } from './thread-utils';
-import { stringForUser } from './user-utils';
 
 const localIDPrefix = 'local';
 
@@ -524,14 +524,23 @@
     threadInfo.name !== '' ||
     messageInfo?.creator.isViewer;
 
+  const stringForUser = useStringForUser(
+    messageInfo?.type === messageTypes.TEXT && hasUsername
+      ? messageInfo?.creator
+      : null,
+  );
   if (!messageInfo) {
     return messageInfo;
   }
 
   let username = null;
   if (messageInfo.type === messageTypes.TEXT && hasUsername) {
+    invariant(
+      stringForUser,
+      'useStringForUser should only return falsey if pass null or undefined',
+    );
     username = {
-      text: stringForUser(messageInfo.creator),
+      text: stringForUser,
       style: 'secondary',
     };
   }