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 15:26:36 2011 +0200
@@ -56,21 +56,34 @@
 
 # Helpers
 
-def formataddr(pair):
+def formataddr(pair, encoding='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 encoding if given this is the encoding that is used
+    to quote the name if it is not ascii safe.
     """
     name, address = pair
+    # Will throw UnicodeEncodeError when address is not plain ascii.
+    # I am not sure of this should be caught or if this is a proper way
+    # to expose that error.
+    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')
+            quotes = ''
+            if specialsre.search(name):
+                quotes = '"'
+            name = escapesre.sub(r'\\\g<0>', name)
+            return '%s%s%s <%s>' % (quotes, name, quotes, address)
+        except UnicodeEncodeError:
+            bytes = name.encode(encoding)
+            b64_encoded = str(_bencode(bytes), 'ascii').rstrip()
+            return "=?%s?B?%s?= <%s>" % (encoding, b64_encoded, 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 15:26:36 2011 +0200
@@ -2408,6 +2408,13 @@
         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@dom.ain'
+        quoted = "=?utf-8?B?SMOkbnMgV8O8cnN0?= <person@dom.ain>"
+        self.assertEqual(utils.formataddr((name, addr)), quoted)
+
     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 15:26:36 2011 +0200
@@ -977,3 +977,4 @@
 Kai Zhu
 Tarek Ziadé
 Peter Åstrand
+Torsten Becker