diff --git a/exampleSite/content/shortcodes/tab.en.md b/exampleSite/content/shortcodes/tab.en.md
index 8a4ed975e1..0525d0b978 100644
--- a/exampleSite/content/shortcodes/tab.en.md
+++ b/exampleSite/content/shortcodes/tab.en.md
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ printf("Hello World!");
 
 ### Mixed content
 
-{{% tab name="Mixed" %}}
+{{% tab name="_**Mixed**_" %}}
 
 A tab can not only contain code but arbitrary text. In this case text and code will get a margin.
 
diff --git a/exampleSite/content/shortcodes/tabs.en.md b/exampleSite/content/shortcodes/tabs.en.md
index 8046c47548..b2597d43f9 100644
--- a/exampleSite/content/shortcodes/tabs.en.md
+++ b/exampleSite/content/shortcodes/tabs.en.md
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ While pressing a tab of group A switches all tab views of group A in sync (if th
 { "Hello": "World" }
 ```
 {{%/* /tab */%}}
-{{%/* tab name="XML" */%}}
+{{%/* tab name="_**XML**_ stuff" */%}}
 ```xml
 <Hello>World</Hello>
 ```
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ Hello = World
 { "Hello": "World" }
 ```
 {{%/* /tab */%}}
-{{%/* tab name="XML" */%}}
+{{%/* tab name="XML stuff" */%}}
 ```xml
 <Hello>World</Hello>
 ```
@@ -133,7 +133,7 @@ Hello = World
 { "Hello": "World" }
 ```
 {{%/* /tab */%}}
-{{%/* tab name="XML" */%}}
+{{%/* tab name="XML stuff" */%}}
 ```xml
 <Hello>World</Hello>
 ```
@@ -152,7 +152,7 @@ Hello = World
 { "Hello": "World" }
 ```
 {{% /tab %}}
-{{% tab name="XML" %}}
+{{% tab name="_**XML**_ stuff" %}}
 ```xml
 <Hello>World</Hello>
 ```
@@ -172,7 +172,7 @@ Hello = World
 { "Hello": "World" }
 ```
 {{% /tab %}}
-{{% tab name="XML" %}}
+{{% tab name="XML stuff" %}}
 ```xml
 <Hello>World</Hello>
 ```
@@ -187,7 +187,7 @@ Hello = World
 { "Hello": "World" }
 ```
 {{% /tab %}}
-{{% tab name="XML" %}}
+{{% tab name="XML stuff" %}}
 ```xml
 <Hello>World</Hello>
 ```
diff --git a/layouts/partials/shortcodes/tabs.html b/layouts/partials/shortcodes/tabs.html
index 3020dc00e2..b61c4244e0 100644
--- a/layouts/partials/shortcodes/tabs.html
+++ b/layouts/partials/shortcodes/tabs.html
@@ -6,17 +6,17 @@
   <div class="tab-nav">
   {{- range $idx, $tab := $tabs }}
     <button
-      data-tab-item="{{ .name }}"
+      data-tab-item="{{ .name | markdownify | plainify }}"
       class="tab-nav-button{{ cond (eq $idx 0) " active" ""}}"
-      onclick="switchTab('{{ $groupid }}','{{ .name }}')"
+      onclick="switchTab('{{ $groupid }}','{{ .name | markdownify | plainify}}')"
     >
-      <span>{{ .name }}</span></button>
+      <span>{{ .name | markdownify }}</span></button>
   {{- end }}
   </div>
   <div class="tab-content">
     {{- range $idx, $tab := $tabs }}
     <div
-      data-tab-item="{{ .name }}"
+      data-tab-item="{{ .name | markdownify | plainify }}"
       class="tab-content-text{{ cond (eq $idx 0) " active" ""}}"
     >
 {{ .content | safeHTML }}</div><!-- no line break allowed here because of awkward behavior of Hugo 110 or this theme when tag shortcode is called standalone outside of tags shortcode ? -->