diff --git a/lib/NGCP/Template.pm b/lib/NGCP/Template.pm
index 2f43a3b3..13705833 100644
--- a/lib/NGCP/Template.pm
+++ b/lib/NGCP/Template.pm
@@ -68,6 +68,20 @@ sub get_peername
     return $self->{config}{hosts}{$hostname}{peer};
 }
 
+sub get_firstname
+{
+    my ($self, $hostname) = @_;
+
+    if (not defined $self->{config}{hosts}{$hostname}) {
+        return 'self';
+    } else {
+        my $peername = $self->get_peername($hostname);
+        my @hosts = ($hostname, $peername);
+
+        return (sort @hosts)[0];
+    }
+}
+
 1;
 
 __END__
@@ -111,6 +125,11 @@ Returns the nodename of the node calling this function.
 
 Returns the peer name for a given $hostname.
 
+=item $firstname = $t->get_firstname($hostname)
+
+Returns the (alphabetically) first hostname of a node pair for a given
+$hostname.
+
 =back
 
 =head1 AUTHOR
diff --git a/lib/get_firstname b/lib/get_firstname
index 528e2078..2d825496 100644
--- a/lib/get_firstname
+++ b/lib/get_firstname
@@ -6,14 +6,6 @@
 # @param argv.host      The hostname to get the first name for.
 # @return out           The alphabetically first name.
 
-IF !hosts.${argv.host}.defined;
-  argv.host = 'self';
-END;
-
-blktmp.hosts = [argv.host];
-IF hosts.${argv.host}.peer.defined;
-  blktmp.hosts.push(hosts.${argv.host}.peer);
-END;
-out = blktmp.hosts.sort.0;
+out = ngcp.get_firstname(argv.host);
 
 -%]