diff --git a/app/templates/modal/wizard_settings.jade b/app/templates/modal/wizard_settings.jade
index f5b3ef81a..a301884ec 100644
--- a/app/templates/modal/wizard_settings.jade
+++ b/app/templates/modal/wizard_settings.jade
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ block modal-header-content
 block modal-body-content
   div.wizard-name-line.form-group
     label.control-label(for="name")
-      | Your Wizardly Name
+      | Your Wizardly Name:
     input#wizard-settings-name(name="name", type="text", value="#{me.get('name')||''}")
 
   #wizard-settings-view
diff --git a/app/views/modal/wizard_settings_modal.coffee b/app/views/modal/wizard_settings_modal.coffee
index 794509521..1651ca43b 100644
--- a/app/views/modal/wizard_settings_modal.coffee
+++ b/app/views/modal/wizard_settings_modal.coffee
@@ -21,7 +21,13 @@ module.exports = class WizardSettingsModal extends View
 
   onNameChange: ->
     me.set('name', $('#wizard-settings-name').val())
+    @checkNameExists()
 
+  checkNameExists: ->
+    forms.clearFormAlerts(@$el)
+    success = (id) => forms.applyErrorsToForm(@$el, {property:'name', message:'is already taken'}) if id and id isnt me.id
+    $.ajax("/db/user/#{me.get('name')}/nameToID", {success: success})
+  
   onWizardSettingsDone: ->
     forms.clearFormAlerts(@$el)
     res = me.validate()
diff --git a/server/users/user_handler.coffee b/server/users/user_handler.coffee
index 8d246c13e..465aae27f 100644
--- a/server/users/user_handler.coffee
+++ b/server/users/user_handler.coffee
@@ -131,11 +131,8 @@ UserHandler = class UserHandler extends Handler
       res.end()
 
   nameToID: (req, res, name) ->
-#    t0 = new Date().getTime()
-#    console.log 'query starts', {nameLower:name.toLowerCase()}
-    User.findOne({nameLower:name.toLowerCase()}, {_id:1}).exec (err, otherUser) ->
-#      console.log 'query ends', new Date().getTime() - t0
-      res.send(otherUser._id.toString()) if otherUser
+    User.findOne({nameLower:name.toLowerCase()}).exec (err, otherUser) ->
+      res.send(if otherUser then otherUser._id else JSON.stringify(''))
       res.end()
 
   post: (req, res) ->