diff -r a7e0a1dbfbb6 Lib/email/utils.py
--- a/Lib/email/utils.py	Sun Mar 27 10:15:57 2011 +0200
+++ b/Lib/email/utils.py	Sun Mar 27 18:59:31 2011 +0200
@@ -42,6 +42,7 @@
 
 # Intrapackage imports
 from email.encoders import _bencode, _qencode
+from email.charset import Charset
 
 COMMASPACE = ', '
 EMPTYSTRING = ''
@@ -56,21 +57,33 @@
 
 # Helpers
 
-def formataddr(pair):
+def formataddr(pair, charset='utf-8'):
     """The inverse of parseaddr(), this takes a 2-tuple of the form
     (realname, email_address) and returns the string value suitable
     for an RFC 2822 From, To or Cc header.
 
     If the first element of pair is false, then the second element is
     returned unmodified.
+
+    Optional charset if given this is the character set that is used
+    to encode name in case name is not ascii safe.
     """
     name, address = pair
+    # Will throw UnicodeEncodeError when address is not plain ascii:
+    address.encode('ascii')
     if name:
-        quotes = ''
-        if specialsre.search(name):
-            quotes = '"'
-        name = escapesre.sub(r'\\\g<0>', name)
-        return '%s%s%s <%s>' % (quotes, name, quotes, address)
+        try:
+            name.encode('ascii')
+        except UnicodeEncodeError:
+            encoder = Charset(charset)
+            encoded_name = encoder.header_encode(name)
+            return "%s <%s>" % (encoded_name, address)
+        else:
+            quotes = ''
+            if specialsre.search(name):
+                quotes = '"'
+            name = escapesre.sub(r'\\\g<0>', name)
+            return '%s%s%s <%s>' % (quotes, name, quotes, address)
     return address
 
 
diff -r a7e0a1dbfbb6 Lib/test/test_email/test_email.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_email/test_email.py	Sun Mar 27 10:15:57 2011 +0200
+++ b/Lib/test/test_email/test_email.py	Sun Mar 27 18:59:31 2011 +0200
@@ -2408,6 +2408,35 @@
         b = 'person@dom.ain'
         self.assertEqual(utils.parseaddr(utils.formataddr((a, b))), (a, b))
 
+    def test_quotes_unicode_names(self):
+        # issue 1690608.  email.utils.formataddr() should be rfc2047 aware.
+        name = "H\u00e4ns W\u00fcrst"
+        addr = 'person@domain'
+        # upper and lower case b and q are allowed here:
+        utf8_base64 = r"=\?utf-8\?[bB]\?SMOkbnMgV8O8cnN0\?= <person@domain>"
+        iso_quopri = r"=\?iso-8859-1\?[qQ]\?H=E4ns_W=FCrst\?= <person@domain>"
+        self.assertTrue(re.match(utf8_base64, utils.formataddr((name, addr))))
+        self.assertTrue(re.match(iso_quopri, utils.formataddr((name, addr),
+                                                              'iso-8859-1')))
+
+    def test_unicode_address_raises_error(self):
+        # issue 1690608.  email.utils.formataddr() should be rfc2047 aware.
+        addr = 'pers\u00f6n@dom.in'
+        self.assertRaises(UnicodeError, utils.formataddr, (None, addr))
+        self.assertRaises(UnicodeError, utils.formataddr, ("Name", addr))
+
+    def test_unicode_names_work_with_message_class(self):
+        # issue 1690608.  email.utils.formataddr() should be rfc2047 aware.
+        name = "H\u00e4ns W\u00fcrst"
+        addr = 'person@dom.ain'
+        msg = Message()
+        msg['To'] = utils.formataddr((name, addr))
+        msg.set_payload("Hello World!")
+        self.assertEqual(msg.as_string(), '''\
+To: =?utf-8?b?SMOkbnMgV8O8cnN0?= <person@dom.ain>
+
+Hello World!''')
+
     def test_name_with_dot(self):
         x = 'John X. Doe <jxd@example.com>'
         y = '"John X. Doe" <jxd@example.com>'
diff -r a7e0a1dbfbb6 Misc/ACKS
--- a/Misc/ACKS	Sun Mar 27 10:15:57 2011 +0200
+++ b/Misc/ACKS	Sun Mar 27 18:59:31 2011 +0200
@@ -977,3 +977,4 @@
 Kai Zhu
 Tarek Ziadé
 Peter Åstrand
+Torsten Becker