diff --git a/src/ChangeLog b/src/ChangeLog
index 989831d67639ed56fb4f344a7d781f937e0b883b..a33144b7a336927ae91d9d2506dcdf82de7ef298 100644
--- a/src/ChangeLog
+++ b/src/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+2009-08-02  Adrian Robert  <Adrian.B.Robert@gmail.com>
+
+	* nsfont.m (ns_descriptor_to_entity): Handle case when descriptor has
+	no family set.
+	(nsfont_open): Handle case when entity has no family.
+
 2009-07-29  Adrian Robert  <Adrian.B.Robert@gmail.com>
 
 	* nsfont.m (ns_findfonts): Fix 2009-07-24 change to return only one
diff --git a/src/nsfont.m b/src/nsfont.m
index a4c4444069ba95a67e1330bcb8155070c0034970..46c50aa96d38722ee99563b0133a977aa08379f8 100644
--- a/src/nsfont.m
+++ b/src/nsfont.m
@@ -166,9 +166,16 @@ static void ns_glyph_metrics (struct nsfont_info *font_info,
     Lisp_Object font_entity = font_make_entity ();
     /*   NSString *psName = [desc postscriptName]; */
     NSString *family = [desc objectForKey: NSFontFamilyAttribute];
-    char *escapedFamily = strdup ([family UTF8String]);
     unsigned int traits = [desc symbolicTraits];
+    char *escapedFamily;
 
+    /* Shouldn't happen, but on Tiger fallback desc gets name but no family. */
+    if (family == nil)
+      family = [desc objectForKey: NSFontNameAttribute];
+    if (family == nil)
+      family = [[NSFont userFixedPitchFontOfSize: 0] familyName];
+
+    escapedFamily = strdup ([family UTF8String]);
     ns_escape_name (escapedFamily);
 
     ASET (font_entity, FONT_TYPE_INDEX, Qns);
@@ -669,6 +676,8 @@ avoid creating multiple struct font objects (with metrics cache, etc.)
   synthItal = !NILP (tem) && !strncmp ("synthItal", SDATA (SYMBOL_NAME (tem)),
                                        9);
   family = ns_get_family (font_entity);
+  if (family == nil)
+    family = [[NSFont userFixedPitchFontOfSize: 0] familyName];
   /* Should be > 0.23 as some font descriptors (e.g. Terminus) set to that
      when setting family in ns_spec_to_descriptor(). */
   if (ns_attribute_fvalue (fontDesc, NSFontWeightTrait) > 0.50)