diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/pm_list_data.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/pm_list_data.js
index 26ffded679..66d6bd1e33 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/pm_list_data.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/pm_list_data.js
@@ -109,8 +109,8 @@ function get_list_info(zoomed) {
 test("get_conversations", ({override}) => {
     pm_conversations.recent.insert([alice.user_id, bob.user_id], 1);
     pm_conversations.recent.insert([me.user_id], 2);
-    let num_unread_for_person = 1;
-    override(unread, "num_unread_for_person", () => num_unread_for_person);
+    let num_unread_for_user_ids_string = 1;
+    override(unread, "num_unread_for_user_ids_string", () => num_unread_for_user_ids_string);
 
     assert.equal(narrow_state.filter(), undefined);
 
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ test("get_conversations", ({override}) => {
     let pm_data = pm_list_data.get_conversations();
     assert.deepEqual(pm_data, expected_data);
 
-    num_unread_for_person = 0;
+    num_unread_for_user_ids_string = 0;
 
     pm_data = pm_list_data.get_conversations();
     expected_data[0].unread = 0;
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ test("get_conversations bot", ({override}) => {
     pm_conversations.recent.insert([alice.user_id, bob.user_id], 1);
     pm_conversations.recent.insert([bot_test.user_id], 2);
 
-    override(unread, "num_unread_for_person", () => 1);
+    override(unread, "num_unread_for_user_ids_string", () => 1);
 
     assert.equal(narrow_state.filter(), undefined);
 
@@ -258,8 +258,8 @@ test("get_list_info", ({override}) => {
     assert.equal(pm_list_data.get_active_user_ids_string(), undefined);
 
     // Mock to arrange that each user has exactly 1 unread.
-    const num_unread_for_person = 1;
-    override(unread, "num_unread_for_person", () => num_unread_for_person);
+    const num_unread_for_user_ids_string = 1;
+    override(unread, "num_unread_for_user_ids_string", () => num_unread_for_user_ids_string);
 
     // Initially, we append 2 conversations and check for the
     // `conversations_to_be_shown` returned in list_info.
@@ -401,7 +401,7 @@ test("get_list_info", ({override}) => {
     );
 
     // We now test some no unreads cases.
-    override(unread, "num_unread_for_person", () => 0);
+    override(unread, "num_unread_for_user_ids_string", () => 0);
     pm_conversations.clear_for_testing();
     pm_conversations.recent.insert([alice.user_id], 1);
     pm_conversations.recent.insert([bob.user_id], 2);
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/topic_generator.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/topic_generator.js
index 4cb84567d4..9d9a062868 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/topic_generator.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/topic_generator.js
@@ -123,7 +123,7 @@ run_test("topics", ({override}) => {
 run_test("get_next_unread_pm_string", ({override}) => {
     pm_conversations.recent.get_strings = () => ["1", "read", "2,3", "4", "unk"];
 
-    override(unread, "num_unread_for_person", (user_ids_string) => {
+    override(unread, "num_unread_for_user_ids_string", (user_ids_string) => {
         if (user_ids_string === "unk") {
             return undefined;
         }
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ run_test("get_next_unread_pm_string", ({override}) => {
     assert.equal(tg.get_next_unread_pm_string("read"), "2,3");
     assert.equal(tg.get_next_unread_pm_string("2,3"), "4");
 
-    override(unread, "num_unread_for_person", () => 0);
+    override(unread, "num_unread_for_user_ids_string", () => 0);
 
     assert.equal(tg.get_next_unread_pm_string("2,3"), undefined);
 });
diff --git a/frontend_tests/node_tests/unread.js b/frontend_tests/node_tests/unread.js
index 0700dd0711..7e855fc558 100644
--- a/frontend_tests/node_tests/unread.js
+++ b/frontend_tests/node_tests/unread.js
@@ -420,8 +420,8 @@ test("private_messages", () => {
     };
     people.add_active_user(bob);
 
-    assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_person(alice.user_id.toString()), 0);
-    assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_person(bob.user_id.toString()), 0);
+    assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_user_ids_string(alice.user_id.toString()), 0);
+    assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_user_ids_string(bob.user_id.toString()), 0);
     assert.deepEqual(unread.get_msg_ids_for_user_ids_string(alice.user_id.toString()), []);
     assert.deepEqual(unread.get_msg_ids_for_user_ids_string(bob.user_id.toString()), []);
     assert.deepEqual(unread.get_msg_ids_for_user_ids_string(), []);
@@ -439,9 +439,9 @@ test("private_messages", () => {
         flags: ["read"],
     };
     unread.process_loaded_messages([message, read_message]);
-    assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_person(alice.user_id.toString()), 1);
+    assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_user_ids_string(alice.user_id.toString()), 1);
 
-    assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_person(""), 0);
+    assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_user_ids_string(""), 0);
 
     assert.deepEqual(unread.get_msg_ids_for_user_ids_string(alice.user_id.toString()), [
         message.id,
@@ -451,8 +451,8 @@ test("private_messages", () => {
     assert.deepEqual(unread.get_all_msg_ids(), [message.id]);
 
     unread.mark_as_read(message.id);
-    assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_person(alice.user_id.toString()), 0);
-    assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_person(""), 0);
+    assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_user_ids_string(alice.user_id.toString()), 0);
+    assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_user_ids_string(""), 0);
     assert.deepEqual(unread.get_msg_ids_for_user_ids_string(alice.user_id.toString()), []);
     assert.deepEqual(unread.get_msg_ids_for_user_ids_string(bob.user_id.toString()), []);
     assert.deepEqual(unread.get_msg_ids_for_private(), []);
@@ -725,9 +725,9 @@ test("server_counts", () => {
 
     unread.initialize();
 
-    assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_person("101"), 6);
-    assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_person("4,6,101"), 2);
-    assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_person("30"), 0);
+    assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_user_ids_string("101"), 6);
+    assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_user_ids_string("4,6,101"), 2);
+    assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_user_ids_string("30"), 0);
 
     assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_topic(0, "bogus"), 0);
     assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_topic(1, "bogus"), 0);
@@ -742,7 +742,7 @@ test("server_counts", () => {
     assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_topic(1, "test"), 2);
 
     unread.mark_as_read(34);
-    assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_person("4,6,101"), 1);
+    assert.equal(unread.num_unread_for_user_ids_string("4,6,101"), 1);
 });
 
 test("empty_cases", () => {
diff --git a/static/js/buddy_data.js b/static/js/buddy_data.js
index 814606d667..c89f2d3b8b 100644
--- a/static/js/buddy_data.js
+++ b/static/js/buddy_data.js
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ export function sort_users(user_ids) {
 }
 
 function get_num_unread(user_id) {
-    return unread.num_unread_for_person(user_id.toString());
+    return unread.num_unread_for_user_ids_string(user_id.toString());
 }
 
 export function user_last_seen_time_status(user_id) {
diff --git a/static/js/pm_list_data.js b/static/js/pm_list_data.js
index 01e5c9e486..0098b57d0d 100644
--- a/static/js/pm_list_data.js
+++ b/static/js/pm_list_data.js
@@ -40,7 +40,7 @@ export function get_conversations() {
         const reply_to = people.user_ids_string_to_emails_string(user_ids_string);
         const recipients_string = people.get_recipients(user_ids_string);
 
-        const num_unread = unread.num_unread_for_person(user_ids_string);
+        const num_unread = unread.num_unread_for_user_ids_string(user_ids_string);
         const is_group = user_ids_string.includes(",");
         const is_active = user_ids_string === active_user_ids_string;
 
diff --git a/static/js/recent_topics_ui.js b/static/js/recent_topics_ui.js
index 0b3c384790..e761a45f3f 100644
--- a/static/js/recent_topics_ui.js
+++ b/static/js/recent_topics_ui.js
@@ -302,7 +302,7 @@ export function process_messages(messages) {
 
 function message_to_conversation_unread_count(msg) {
     if (msg.type === "private") {
-        return unread.num_unread_for_person(msg.to_user_ids);
+        return unread.num_unread_for_user_ids_string(msg.to_user_ids);
     }
     return unread.num_unread_for_topic(msg.stream_id, msg.topic);
 }
diff --git a/static/js/topic_generator.js b/static/js/topic_generator.js
index 8b7704a93c..d62ac94596 100644
--- a/static/js/topic_generator.js
+++ b/static/js/topic_generator.js
@@ -84,13 +84,13 @@ export function get_next_unread_pm_string(curr_pm) {
     const curr_pm_index = my_pm_strings.indexOf(curr_pm); // -1 if not found
 
     for (let i = curr_pm_index + 1; i < my_pm_strings.length; i += 1) {
-        if (unread.num_unread_for_person(my_pm_strings[i]) > 0) {
+        if (unread.num_unread_for_user_ids_string(my_pm_strings[i]) > 0) {
             return my_pm_strings[i];
         }
     }
 
     for (let i = 0; i < curr_pm_index; i += 1) {
-        if (unread.num_unread_for_person(my_pm_strings[i]) > 0) {
+        if (unread.num_unread_for_user_ids_string(my_pm_strings[i]) > 0) {
             return my_pm_strings[i];
         }
     }
diff --git a/static/js/unread.js b/static/js/unread.js
index cb26403726..c8c5ae5659 100644
--- a/static/js/unread.js
+++ b/static/js/unread.js
@@ -716,7 +716,7 @@ export function get_topics_with_unread_mentions(stream_id) {
     return unread_topic_counter.get_topics_with_unread_mentions(stream_id);
 }
 
-export function num_unread_for_person(user_ids_string) {
+export function num_unread_for_user_ids_string(user_ids_string) {
     return unread_pm_counter.num_unread(user_ids_string);
 }