diff --git a/suite/apps/tableaux/components/guestPanel/GuestPanel.test.tsx b/suite/apps/tableaux/components/guestPanel/GuestPanel.test.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..fb20c610
--- /dev/null
+++ b/suite/apps/tableaux/components/guestPanel/GuestPanel.test.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+import { describe, it, expect, beforeEach } from 'vitest'
+import { render, screen } from '@testing-library/react'
+import GuestPanel from './GuestPanel'
+import { useStore } from '../../store/useStore'
+import { openPlan } from '../../test/openPlan'
+import { newGuest } from '@/lib/model/factories'
+import type { Guest } from '../../store/types'
+
+const guest = (id: string, fullName: string, where: Partial<Guest>): Guest =>
+  ({ ...newGuest({ id, rsvpStatus: 'confirmed' }), fullName, assignedSeatId: null, ...where }) as Guest
+
+// Families sit inside a subgroup inside a group, which is how a real plan is
+// built. Searching any container's name should find the people in it.
+beforeEach(() => {
+  openPlan({
+    guests: {
+      g1: guest('g1', 'Ada Lovelace', { groupId: 'grp', subgroupId: 'sub', familyId: 'fam' }),
+      g2: guest('g2', 'Byron Lovelace', { groupId: 'grp', subgroupId: 'sub', familyId: 'fam' }),
+      g3: guest('g3', 'Mary Somerville', { groupId: 'grp', subgroupId: 'sub' }),
+      g4: guest('g4', 'Alan Turing', { groupId: 'grp' }),
+    },
+    groups: { grp: { id: 'grp', name: 'Work', colour: '#000', memberIds: ['g1', 'g2', 'g3', 'g4'] } },
+    subgroups: { sub: { id: 'sub', name: 'Analysts', colour: '#000', parentGroupId: 'grp', memberIds: ['g1', 'g2', 'g3'] } },
+    families: {
+      fam: { id: 'fam', name: 'The Engines', colour: '#000', parentGroupId: null, parentSubgroupId: 'sub', memberIds: ['g1', 'g2'] },
+    },
+  })
+})
+
+const search = (query: string) => {
+  useStore.setState({ search: query })
+  render(<GuestPanel />)
+}
+
+describe('GuestPanel search', () => {
+  it("finds a family's members by the family's name", () => {
+    search('engines')
+    expect(screen.getByText('Ada Lovelace')).toBeInTheDocument()
+    expect(screen.getByText('Byron Lovelace')).toBeInTheDocument()
+    expect(screen.queryByText('Mary Somerville')).toBeNull()
+    expect(screen.queryByText('Alan Turing')).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  it("finds a subgroup's members by the subgroup's name", () => {
+    search('analysts')
+    expect(screen.getByText('Ada Lovelace')).toBeInTheDocument()
+    expect(screen.getByText('Mary Somerville')).toBeInTheDocument()
+    expect(screen.queryByText('Alan Turing')).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  it("still finds a group's members by the group's name", () => {
+    search('work')
+    expect(screen.getByText('Alan Turing')).toBeInTheDocument()
+    expect(screen.getByText('Ada Lovelace')).toBeInTheDocument()
+  })
+
+  it('still finds a person by their own name', () => {
+    search('turing')
+    expect(screen.getByText('Alan Turing')).toBeInTheDocument()
+    expect(screen.queryByText('Ada Lovelace')).toBeNull()
+  })
+})
diff --git a/suite/apps/tableaux/components/guestPanel/GuestPanel.tsx b/suite/apps/tableaux/components/guestPanel/GuestPanel.tsx
index b4a96946..c2adaae7 100644
--- a/suite/apps/tableaux/components/guestPanel/GuestPanel.tsx
+++ b/suite/apps/tableaux/components/guestPanel/GuestPanel.tsx
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import { useGuestImport } from '@/components/shell/guestImportPanel'
 import { matchesSearch, matchesFilters } from '../../utils/guestFilters'
 import { isComing } from '@/lib/model/slices'
 import type { ShownFamily, ShownGroup, ShownSubgroup } from './tree'
+import type { Guest } from '../../store/types'
 import styles from './GuestPanel.module.css'
 
 /**
@@ -80,18 +81,17 @@ export default function GuestPanel() {
     const subgroupArr = Object.values(subgroups)
     const familyArr = Object.values(families)
     const showEmpty = !search && !filters.length
+    const shown = (g: Guest) => {
+      const names = [groups[g.groupId ?? '']?.name, subgroups[g.subgroupId ?? '']?.name, families[g.familyId ?? '']?.name]
+      return matchesSearch(g, names, search) && matchesFilters(g, filters)
+    }
 
     const vGroups = groupArr
       .map((group): ShownGroup => {
-        // TODO(family-ux): matchesSearch is only ever given the top-level
-        // `group`, so searching a subgroup or family NAME doesn't surface its
-        // members (only a personal-name match does) — a real gap for nested
-        // families, which is how every family in the live plan is set up.
-        // See tmp/family-ux-followups.md #2.
         const allMembers = (group.memberIds || [])
           .map((id) => guests[id])
           .filter(Boolean)
-          .filter((g) => matchesSearch(g, group, search) && matchesFilters(g, filters))
+          .filter(shown)
 
         // Build subgroup sections: each subgroup with its matching members,
         // and any families nested inside that subgroup.
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ export default function GuestPanel() {
         members: (f.memberIds || [])
           .map((id) => guests[id])
           .filter(Boolean)
-          .filter((g) => matchesSearch(g, f, search) && matchesFilters(g, filters)),
+          .filter(shown),
       }))
       .filter((vf) => vf.members.length > 0 || showEmpty)
       .sort((a, b) => String(a.family.name).localeCompare(String(b.family.name)))
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ export default function GuestPanel() {
     const ung = list
       .filter((g) => !g.groupId || !groups[g.groupId])
       .filter((g) => !g.familyId || !families[g.familyId])
-      .filter((g) => matchesSearch(g, null, search) && matchesFilters(g, filters))
+      .filter(shown)
       .sort((a, b) => String(a.fullName).localeCompare(String(b.fullName)))
 
     return {
diff --git a/suite/apps/tableaux/utils/guestFilters.ts b/suite/apps/tableaux/utils/guestFilters.ts
index fc67d4dd..e2bed87e 100644
--- a/suite/apps/tableaux/utils/guestFilters.ts
+++ b/suite/apps/tableaux/utils/guestFilters.ts
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import { sideShort } from '@/lib/model/partners'
 import { isComing } from '@/lib/model/slices'
-import type { Group, Guest, Meta } from '../store/types'
+import type { Guest, Meta } from '../store/types'
 
 // TODO(family-ux): no "in a family" (or per-family) filter chip exists —
 // would need an entry here AND in PREDICATES below, and a predicate can't
@@ -48,15 +48,17 @@ export function matchesFilters(guest: Guest, filters: readonly string[] | null |
   return filters.every((f) => (f in PREDICATES ? PREDICATES[f as FilterKey](guest) : true))
 }
 
-export function matchesSearch(guest: Guest, group: Pick<Group, 'name'> | null | undefined, query: string): boolean {
+/**
+ * Does the guest match the search box? Their own names count, and so do the
+ * names of the group, subgroup and family they are in, so searching "The
+ * Engines" finds the Engines.
+ */
+export function matchesSearch(guest: Guest, containerNames: readonly (string | undefined)[], query: string): boolean {
   if (!query) return true
   const q = query.trim().toLowerCase()
   if (!q) return true
-  return (
-    (guest.fullName || '').toLowerCase().includes(q) ||
-    (guest.firstName || '').toLowerCase().includes(q) ||
-    (guest.lastName || '').toLowerCase().includes(q) ||
-    (group?.name || '').toLowerCase().includes(q)
+  return [guest.fullName, guest.firstName, guest.lastName, ...containerNames].some((name) =>
+    (name || '').toLowerCase().includes(q)
   )
 }