diff --git a/esphome/components/api/api_connection.cpp b/esphome/components/api/api_connection.cpp
index 37986672d6..9bafe7cb3e 100644
--- a/esphome/components/api/api_connection.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/api/api_connection.cpp
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ void APIConnection::start() {
   // Initialize client name with peername (IP address) until Hello message provides actual name
   char peername[socket::PEERNAME_MAX_LEN];
   this->helper_->getpeername_to(peername);
-  this->client_info_.name = peername;
+  strncpy(this->client_info_.name, peername, sizeof(this->client_info_.name) - 1);
 }
 
 APIConnection::~APIConnection() {
@@ -1523,13 +1523,16 @@ void APIConnection::complete_authentication_() {
 }
 
 bool APIConnection::send_hello_response(const HelloRequest &msg) {
-  this->client_info_.name.assign(msg.client_info.c_str(), msg.client_info.size());
+  // Copy client name with truncation if needed
+  size_t copy_len = std::min(msg.client_info.size(), sizeof(this->client_info_.name) - 1);
+  memcpy(this->client_info_.name, msg.client_info.c_str(), copy_len);
+  this->client_info_.name[copy_len] = '\0';
   this->client_api_version_major_ = msg.api_version_major;
   this->client_api_version_minor_ = msg.api_version_minor;
   char peername[socket::PEERNAME_MAX_LEN];
   this->helper_->getpeername_to(peername);
-  ESP_LOGV(TAG, "Hello from client: '%s' | %s | API Version %" PRIu32 ".%" PRIu32, this->client_info_.name.c_str(),
-           peername, this->client_api_version_major_, this->client_api_version_minor_);
+  ESP_LOGV(TAG, "Hello from client: '%s' | %s | API Version %" PRIu32 ".%" PRIu32, this->client_info_.name, peername,
+           this->client_api_version_major_, this->client_api_version_minor_);
 
   HelloResponse resp;
   resp.api_version_major = 1;
@@ -2107,14 +2110,14 @@ void APIConnection::process_state_subscriptions_() {
 void APIConnection::log_client_(int level, const LogString *message) {
   char peername[socket::PEERNAME_MAX_LEN];
   this->helper_->getpeername_to(peername);
-  esp_log_printf_(level, TAG, __LINE__, ESPHOME_LOG_FORMAT("%s (%s): %s"), this->client_info_.name.c_str(), peername,
+  esp_log_printf_(level, TAG, __LINE__, ESPHOME_LOG_FORMAT("%s (%s): %s"), this->client_info_.name, peername,
                   LOG_STR_ARG(message));
 }
 
 void APIConnection::log_warning_(const LogString *message, APIError err) {
   char peername[socket::PEERNAME_MAX_LEN];
   this->helper_->getpeername_to(peername);
-  ESP_LOGW(TAG, "%s (%s): %s %s errno=%d", this->client_info_.name.c_str(), peername, LOG_STR_ARG(message),
+  ESP_LOGW(TAG, "%s (%s): %s %s errno=%d", this->client_info_.name, peername, LOG_STR_ARG(message),
            LOG_STR_ARG(api_error_to_logstr(err)), errno);
 }
 
diff --git a/esphome/components/api/api_connection.h b/esphome/components/api/api_connection.h
index 8c1a91addd..b5700b61aa 100644
--- a/esphome/components/api/api_connection.h
+++ b/esphome/components/api/api_connection.h
@@ -9,17 +9,21 @@
 #include "esphome/core/application.h"
 #include "esphome/core/component.h"
 #include "esphome/core/entity_base.h"
+#include "esphome/core/string_ref.h"
 
 #include <functional>
 #include <vector>
 
 namespace esphome::api {
 
-// Client information structure
+// Client information structure - uses fixed buffer to avoid std::string heap allocation
+// Max client name length (e.g., "Home Assistant 2026.1.0.dev0" = 28 chars)
+static constexpr size_t CLIENT_INFO_NAME_MAX_LEN = 32;
+
 struct ClientInfo {
-  std::string name;  // Client name from Hello message
+  char name[CLIENT_INFO_NAME_MAX_LEN]{};  // Client name from Hello message
   // Note: peername (IP address) is not stored here to save memory.
-  // Use helper_->getpeername_to() or helper_->getpeername() when needed.
+  // Use helper_->getpeername_to() when needed.
 };
 
 // Keepalive timeout in milliseconds
@@ -290,7 +294,7 @@ class APIConnection final : public APIServerConnection {
   bool try_to_clear_buffer(bool log_out_of_space);
   bool send_buffer(ProtoWriteBuffer buffer, uint8_t message_type) override;
 
-  const std::string &get_name() const { return this->client_info_.name; }
+  StringRef get_name() const { return StringRef(this->client_info_.name); }
   /// Get peer name (IP address) into a stack buffer - avoids heap allocation
   size_t get_peername_to(std::span<char, socket::PEERNAME_MAX_LEN> buf) const {
     return this->helper_->getpeername_to(buf);
diff --git a/esphome/components/api/api_frame_helper.cpp b/esphome/components/api/api_frame_helper.cpp
index d4801fb63a..1263e23ffb 100644
--- a/esphome/components/api/api_frame_helper.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/api/api_frame_helper.cpp
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ static const char *const TAG = "api.frame_helper";
   do { \
     char peername__[socket::PEERNAME_MAX_LEN]; \
     this->socket_->getpeername_to(peername__); \
-    ESP_LOGVV(TAG, "%s (%s): " msg, this->client_info_->name.c_str(), peername__, ##__VA_ARGS__); \
+    ESP_LOGVV(TAG, "%s (%s): " msg, this->client_info_->name, peername__, ##__VA_ARGS__); \
   } while (0)
 #else
 #define HELPER_LOG(msg, ...) ((void) 0)
diff --git a/esphome/components/api/api_frame_helper_noise.cpp b/esphome/components/api/api_frame_helper_noise.cpp
index 698b0d2128..8a3c14b432 100644
--- a/esphome/components/api/api_frame_helper_noise.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/api/api_frame_helper_noise.cpp
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ static constexpr size_t PROLOGUE_INIT_LEN = 12;  // strlen("NoiseAPIInit")
   do { \
     char peername__[socket::PEERNAME_MAX_LEN]; \
     this->socket_->getpeername_to(peername__); \
-    ESP_LOGVV(TAG, "%s (%s): " msg, this->client_info_->name.c_str(), peername__, ##__VA_ARGS__); \
+    ESP_LOGVV(TAG, "%s (%s): " msg, this->client_info_->name, peername__, ##__VA_ARGS__); \
   } while (0)
 #else
 #define HELPER_LOG(msg, ...) ((void) 0)
diff --git a/esphome/components/api/api_frame_helper_plaintext.cpp b/esphome/components/api/api_frame_helper_plaintext.cpp
index 21fa2f5ef6..ddcc661d40 100644
--- a/esphome/components/api/api_frame_helper_plaintext.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/api/api_frame_helper_plaintext.cpp
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@ static const char *const TAG = "api.plaintext";
   do { \
     char peername__[socket::PEERNAME_MAX_LEN]; \
     this->socket_->getpeername_to(peername__); \
-    ESP_LOGVV(TAG, "%s (%s): " msg, this->client_info_->name.c_str(), peername__, ##__VA_ARGS__); \
+    ESP_LOGVV(TAG, "%s (%s): " msg, this->client_info_->name, peername__, ##__VA_ARGS__); \
   } while (0)
 #else
 #define HELPER_LOG(msg, ...) ((void) 0)
diff --git a/esphome/components/api/api_server.cpp b/esphome/components/api/api_server.cpp
index 979fd3420a..b2915442fb 100644
--- a/esphome/components/api/api_server.cpp
+++ b/esphome/components/api/api_server.cpp
@@ -193,7 +193,7 @@ void APIServer::loop() {
 #ifdef USE_API_USER_DEFINED_ACTION_RESPONSES
     this->unregister_active_action_calls_for_connection(client.get());
 #endif
-    ESP_LOGV(TAG, "Remove connection %s", client->client_info_.name.c_str());
+    ESP_LOGV(TAG, "Remove connection %s", client->client_info_.name);
 
     // Swap with the last element and pop (avoids expensive vector shifts)
     if (client_index < this->clients_.size() - 1) {