diff --git a/clients/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/server/quota/ClientQuotaEntity.java b/clients/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/server/quota/ClientQuotaEntity.java
index 0f0eb6253c828..626ddcce605c1 100644
--- a/clients/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/server/quota/ClientQuotaEntity.java
+++ b/clients/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/server/quota/ClientQuotaEntity.java
@@ -43,7 +43,8 @@ enum ConfigEntityType {
      */
     interface ConfigEntity {
         /**
-         * Returns the name of this entity. For default quotas, an empty string is returned.
+         * Returns the name of this entity. For default quotas, {@code null} is returned,
+         * consistent with how the Admin API represents default client quota entities.
          */
         String name();
 
diff --git a/core/src/test/scala/kafka/server/metadata/ClientQuotaMetadataManagerTest.scala b/core/src/test/scala/kafka/server/metadata/ClientQuotaMetadataManagerTest.scala
index 0b197d467213a..7db3c3a81d3da 100644
--- a/core/src/test/scala/kafka/server/metadata/ClientQuotaMetadataManagerTest.scala
+++ b/core/src/test/scala/kafka/server/metadata/ClientQuotaMetadataManagerTest.scala
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ package kafka.server.metadata
 
 import org.apache.kafka.image.ClientQuotaDelta
 import org.apache.kafka.server.quota.ClientQuotaManager
-import org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.{assertDoesNotThrow, assertEquals, assertThrows}
+import org.junit.jupiter.api.Assertions.{assertDoesNotThrow, assertEquals, assertNull, assertThrows}
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.Test
 import org.junit.jupiter.api.function.Executable
 import java.util.Optional
@@ -73,4 +73,29 @@ class ClientQuotaMetadataManagerTest {
       ClientQuotaMetadataManager.transferToClientQuotaEntity(DefaultUserDefaultClientIdEntity)
     )
   }
-}
\ No newline at end of file
+
+  @Test
+  def testDefaultConfigEntityNameReturnsNull(): Unit = {
+    assertNull(ClientQuotaManager.DEFAULT_USER_ENTITY.name())
+    assertNull(ClientQuotaManager.DEFAULT_USER_CLIENT_ID.name())
+
+    val (defaultUser, _) = ClientQuotaMetadataManager.transferToClientQuotaEntity(DefaultUserEntity)
+    assertNull(defaultUser.get().name())
+
+    val (_, defaultClientId) = ClientQuotaMetadataManager.transferToClientQuotaEntity(DefaultClientIdEntity)
+    assertNull(defaultClientId.get().name())
+
+    val (defaultUser2, defaultClientId2) = ClientQuotaMetadataManager.transferToClientQuotaEntity(DefaultUserDefaultClientIdEntity)
+    assertNull(defaultUser2.get().name())
+    assertNull(defaultClientId2.get().name())
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  def testExplicitConfigEntityNameReturnsValue(): Unit = {
+    val (user, _) = ClientQuotaMetadataManager.transferToClientQuotaEntity(UserEntity("testUser"))
+    assertEquals("testUser", user.get().name())
+
+    val (_, clientId) = ClientQuotaMetadataManager.transferToClientQuotaEntity(ClientIdEntity("testClient"))
+    assertEquals("testClient", clientId.get().name())
+  }
+}
diff --git a/server/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/server/quota/ClientQuotaManager.java b/server/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/server/quota/ClientQuotaManager.java
index 010b10af91abc..c3849f4d9280b 100644
--- a/server/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/server/quota/ClientQuotaManager.java
+++ b/server/src/main/java/org/apache/kafka/server/quota/ClientQuotaManager.java
@@ -60,7 +60,6 @@ public class ClientQuotaManager {
 
     // Purge sensors after 1 hour of inactivity
     private static final int INACTIVE_SENSOR_EXPIRATION_TIME_SECONDS = 3600;
-    private static final String DEFAULT_NAME = "<default>";
 
     public record UserEntity(String sanitizedUser) implements ClientQuotaEntity.ConfigEntity {
 
@@ -105,7 +104,7 @@ public ClientQuotaEntity.ConfigEntityType entityType() {
 
         @Override
         public String name() {
-            return DEFAULT_NAME;
+            return null;
         }
 
         @Override
@@ -121,7 +120,7 @@ public ClientQuotaEntity.ConfigEntityType entityType() {
         }
         @Override
         public String name() {
-            return DEFAULT_NAME;
+            return null;
         }
         @Override
         public String toString() {
@@ -154,14 +153,15 @@ public List<ConfigEntity> configEntities() {
         public String sanitizedUser() {
             if (userEntity instanceof UserEntity userRecord) {
                 return userRecord.sanitizedUser();
-            } else if (userEntity == DEFAULT_USER_ENTITY) {
-                return DEFAULT_NAME;
             }
             return "";
         }
 
         public String clientId() {
-            return clientIdEntity != null ? clientIdEntity.name() : "";
+            if (clientIdEntity instanceof ClientIdEntity clientIdRecord) {
+                return clientIdRecord.clientId();
+            }
+            return "";
         }
 
         @Override