diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwgui/savegamedialog.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwgui/savegamedialog.cpp
index 77ad98121b..894cbe0a3e 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwgui/savegamedialog.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwgui/savegamedialog.cpp
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ namespace MWGui
             {
                 std::stringstream title;
                 title << it->getSignature().mPlayerName;
-                title << " (Level " << it->getSignature().mPlayerLevel << " " << it->getSignature().mPlayerClass << ")";
+                title << " (Level " << it->getSignature().mPlayerLevel << " " << it->getSignature().mPlayerClassName << ")";
 
                 mCharacterSelection->addItem (title.str());
 
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwstate/statemanagerimp.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwstate/statemanagerimp.cpp
index d6309c1c9f..a0d482f0a0 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwstate/statemanagerimp.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwstate/statemanagerimp.cpp
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ void MWState::StateManager::saveGame (const std::string& description, const Slot
 
     profile.mPlayerName = player.getClass().getName (player);
     profile.mPlayerLevel = player.getClass().getNpcStats (player).getLevel();
-    profile.mPlayerClass = player.get<ESM::NPC>()->mBase->mClass;
+    profile.mPlayerClassName = world.getStore().get<ESM::Class>().find(player.get<ESM::NPC>()->mBase->mClass)->mName;
 
     profile.mPlayerCell = world.getCellName();
 
diff --git a/components/esm/savedgame.cpp b/components/esm/savedgame.cpp
index d6887f1704..813865e253 100644
--- a/components/esm/savedgame.cpp
+++ b/components/esm/savedgame.cpp
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ void ESM::SavedGame::load (ESMReader &esm)
 {
     mPlayerName = esm.getHNString("PLNA");
     esm.getHNOT (mPlayerLevel, "PLLE");
-    mPlayerClass = esm.getHNString("PLCL");
+    mPlayerClassName = esm.getHNString("PLCL");
     mPlayerCell = esm.getHNString("PLCE");
     esm.getHNT (mInGameTime, "TSTM", 16);
     esm.getHNT (mTimePlayed, "TIME");
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ void ESM::SavedGame::save (ESMWriter &esm) const
 {
     esm.writeHNString ("PLNA", mPlayerName);
     esm.writeHNT ("PLLE", mPlayerLevel);
-    esm.writeHNString ("PLCL", mPlayerClass);
+    esm.writeHNString ("PLCL", mPlayerClassName);
     esm.writeHNString ("PLCE", mPlayerCell);
     esm.writeHNT ("TSTM", mInGameTime, 16);
     esm.writeHNT ("TIME", mTimePlayed);
diff --git a/components/esm/savedgame.hpp b/components/esm/savedgame.hpp
index 9c7bf551d7..b8615a6bc4 100644
--- a/components/esm/savedgame.hpp
+++ b/components/esm/savedgame.hpp
@@ -26,7 +26,12 @@ namespace ESM
         std::vector<std::string> mContentFiles;
         std::string mPlayerName;
         int mPlayerLevel;
-        std::string mPlayerClass; // this is the ID and not the name of the class
+        // The (translated) name of the player class. So it will be displayed in the MW language
+        // the savegame was made in, not the currently running language of MW.
+        // However, savegames from a different MW language are not compatible anyway.
+        // And if only the ID was stored here, we would need to
+        // peek into the savegame to look for a class record in case it is a custom class.
+        std::string mPlayerClassName;
         std::string mPlayerCell;
         TimeStamp mInGameTime;
         double mTimePlayed;