diff --git a/web/admin.php b/web/admin.php
index 5b53a33a44..122366b88f 100644
--- a/web/admin.php
+++ b/web/admin.php
@@ -396,7 +396,7 @@ function generate_new_room_form()
         echo "<thead>\n";
         echo "<tr>\n";
 
-        echo "<th>" . get_vocab("name") . "</th>\n";
+        echo '<th><span data-type="string">' . get_vocab("name") . "</span></th>\n";
         if (is_admin())
         {
           // Don't show ordinary users the disabled status:  they are only going to see enabled rooms
@@ -450,10 +450,9 @@ function generate_new_room_form()
 
             $html_name = htmlspecialchars($r['room_name']);
             $href = multisite('edit_room.php?room=' . $r['id']);
-            // We insert an invisible span containing the sort key so that the rooms will
+            // We insert a data attribute containing the sort key so that the rooms will
             // be sorted properly
-            echo "<td><div>" .
-                 "<span>" . htmlspecialchars($r['sort_key']) . "</span>" .
+            echo '<td data-order="' . htmlspecialchars($r['sort_key']) . '"><div>' .
                  "<a title=\"$html_name\" href=\"" . htmlspecialchars($href) . "\">$html_name</a>" .
                  "</div></td>\n";
             if (is_admin())
diff --git a/web/edit_users.php b/web/edit_users.php
index 0376c129a0..bfbd141787 100644
--- a/web/edit_users.php
+++ b/web/edit_users.php
@@ -176,11 +176,11 @@ function output_row($row)
   }
 
   $sortname = get_sortable_name($row['display_name']);
-  $values[] = '<span title="' . htmlspecialchars($sortname) . '"></span>' . $display_name_value;
+  // TODO: move the data-order attribute up into the <td> and get rid of the <span>
+  $values[] = '<span data-order="' . htmlspecialchars($sortname) . '"></span>' . $display_name_value;
 
   // Then the username
-  $name_value = "<span class=\"normal\">" . htmlspecialchars($row['name']) . "</span>";
-  $values[] = '<span title="' . htmlspecialchars($row['name']) . '"></span>' . $name_value;
+  $values[] = '<span class="normal">' . htmlspecialchars($row['name']) . '</span>';
 
   // Other columns
   foreach ($fields as $field)
@@ -1370,8 +1370,8 @@ function get_fieldset_submit_buttons(?int $user_id, $delete=false, $disabled=fal
     echo "<tr>";
 
     // First two columns which are the name and display name
-    echo '<th><span class="normal" data-type="title-string">' . get_vocab("users.display_name") . "</span></th>\n";
-    echo '<th><span class="normal" data-type="title-string">' . get_vocab("users.name") . "</span></th>\n";
+    echo '<th><span class="normal" data-type="string">' . get_vocab("users.display_name") . "</span></th>\n";
+    echo '<th><span class="normal" data-type="string">' . get_vocab("users.name") . "</span></th>\n";
 
     // Other column headers
     foreach ($fields as $field)
@@ -1387,6 +1387,7 @@ function get_fieldset_submit_buttons(?int $user_id, $delete=false, $disabled=fal
           case 'level':
           case 'timestamp':
           case 'last_login':
+            // TODO: Switch from using title-numeric to just numeric(?)
             $heading = '<span class="normal" data-type="title-numeric">' . $heading . '</span>';
             break;
           default:
diff --git a/web/jquery/datatables/plugins.js b/web/jquery/datatables/plugins.js
index 3c73c3b081..a441a3eb27 100644
--- a/web/jquery/datatables/plugins.js
+++ b/web/jquery/datatables/plugins.js
@@ -8,18 +8,17 @@ jQuery.extend( jQuery.fn.dataTableExt.oSort, {
     "title-string-pre": function ( a ) {
         return a.match(/title="(.*?)"/)[1].toLowerCase();
     },
- 
+
     "title-string-asc": function ( a, b ) {
         return ((a < b) ? -1 : ((a > b) ? 1 : 0));
     },
- 
+
     "title-string-desc": function ( a, b ) {
         return ((a < b) ? 1 : ((a > b) ? -1 : 0));
     }
 } );
 
 
-
 $.fn.dataTableExt.oSort['title-numeric-asc']  = function(a,b) {
   var x = a.match(/title="*(-?[0-9\.]+)/)[1];
   var y = b.match(/title="*(-?[0-9\.]+)/)[1];
@@ -36,9 +35,23 @@ $.fn.dataTableExt.oSort['title-numeric-desc'] = function(a,b) {
   return ((x < y) ?  1 : ((x > y) ? -1 : 0));
   };
 
+// Localised sorting
+$.fn.dataTable.ext.order.intl = function ( locales, options ) {
+  if ( window.Intl ) {
+    var collator = new window.Intl.Collator( locales, options );
+    var types = $.fn.dataTable.ext.type;
+
+    delete types.order['string-pre'];
+    types.order['string-asc'] = collator.compare;
+    types.order['string-desc'] = function ( a, b ) {
+      return collator.compare( a, b ) * -1;
+    };
+  }
+};
+
+
 // Filtering plugins
 
 $.fn.dataTableExt.ofnSearch['title-numeric'] = function ( sData ) {
    return sData.replace(/\n/g," ").replace( /<.*?>/g, "" );
    };
-
diff --git a/web/js/admin.js.php b/web/js/admin.js.php
index 0134b2a4d0..a14bbec1c3 100644
--- a/web/js/admin.js.php
+++ b/web/js/admin.js.php
@@ -13,9 +13,13 @@
 ?>
 
 $(document).on('page_ready', function() {
-  
+
+  var tableOptions = {};
   var fixedColumnsOptions = {leftColumns: 1};
 
+  <?php // Get the types and feed those into dataTables ?>
+  tableOptions.columnDefs = getTypes($('#rooms_table'));
+
   <?php
   // Turn the list of rooms into a dataTable
   // If we're an admin, then fix the right hand column
@@ -24,7 +28,7 @@
   {
     fixedColumnsOptions.rightColumns = 1;
   }
-  
-  makeDataTable('#rooms_table', {}, fixedColumnsOptions);
+
+  makeDataTable('#rooms_table', tableOptions, fixedColumnsOptions);
 });
 
diff --git a/web/js/datatables.js.php b/web/js/datatables.js.php
index c51da55c74..94b94bc3f7 100644
--- a/web/js/datatables.js.php
+++ b/web/js/datatables.js.php
@@ -330,6 +330,7 @@ function makeDataTable(id, specificOptions, fixedColumnsOptions)
   }
 
   defaultOptions.initComplete = initCompleteActions;
+
   <?php
   // Merge the specific options with the default options.  We do a deep
   // merge.
@@ -348,6 +349,9 @@ function makeDataTable(id, specificOptions, fixedColumnsOptions)
     };
   }
 
+  <?php // Localise the sorting.  See https://datatables.net/blog/2017-02-28 ?>
+  $.fn.dataTable.ext.order.intl($('body').data('langPrefs'));
+
   dataTable = table.DataTable(mergedOptions);
 
   if (fixedColumnsOptions)