diff --git a/app/models/queries/projects/filters/name_filter.rb b/app/models/queries/projects/filters/name_filter.rb
index 91c8f0c5d3e4..96aa957334a6 100644
--- a/app/models/queries/projects/filters/name_filter.rb
+++ b/app/models/queries/projects/filters/name_filter.rb
@@ -39,8 +39,12 @@ def where
       ["LOWER(projects.name) IN (?)", sql_value]
     when "!"
       ["LOWER(projects.name) NOT IN (?)", sql_value]
-    when "~", "**"
+    when "~"
       ["LOWER(projects.name) LIKE ?", "%#{sql_value}%"]
+    when "**"
+      terms = values.first.downcase.split
+      conditions = Array.new(terms.size, "LOWER(projects.name) LIKE ?").join(" AND ")
+      [conditions, *terms.map { |t| "%#{t}%" }]
     when "!~"
       ["LOWER(projects.name) NOT LIKE ?", "%#{sql_value}%"]
     end
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/shared/components/header-project-select/header-project-select.component.ts b/frontend/src/app/shared/components/header-project-select/header-project-select.component.ts
index ef6b27a2ff1b..c01fc2de5479 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/shared/components/header-project-select/header-project-select.component.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/app/shared/components/header-project-select/header-project-select.component.ts
@@ -81,7 +81,8 @@ export class OpHeaderProjectSelectComponent extends UntilDestroyedMixin implemen
           (project) => {
             const searchText = this.searchableProjectListService.searchText;
             if (searchText.length) {
-              const matches = project.name.toLowerCase().includes(searchText.toLowerCase());
+              const terms = searchText.toLowerCase().split(/\s+/).filter((t) => t.length > 0);
+              const matches = terms.every((term) => project.name.toLowerCase().includes(term));
 
               if (!matches) {
                 return false;
diff --git a/frontend/src/app/shared/components/searchable-project-list/searchable-project-list.service.ts b/frontend/src/app/shared/components/searchable-project-list/searchable-project-list.service.ts
index 561cc9d4c9a7..e83ce6f29149 100644
--- a/frontend/src/app/shared/components/searchable-project-list/searchable-project-list.service.ts
+++ b/frontend/src/app/shared/components/searchable-project-list/searchable-project-list.service.ts
@@ -84,12 +84,12 @@ export class SearchableProjectListService {
         return of([[] as IProject[], searchText, loadingEnabled as boolean, favoriteIds]);
       }
 
-      const nameFilter:ApiV3ListFilter[] = [];
+      const searchFilter:ApiV3ListFilter[] = [];
       if (searchText.length > 0) {
-        nameFilter.push(['name', '~', [searchText]]);
+        searchFilter.push(['typeahead', '**', [searchText]]);
       }
 
-      return this.fetchProjects(nameFilter)
+      return this.fetchProjects(searchFilter)
                  .pipe(map((collection) => [collection._embedded.elements, searchText, loadingEnabled as boolean, favoriteIds]));
     }),
     switchMap(([projects, searchText, loadingEnabled, favoriteIds]:[IProject[],string,boolean,string[]]) => {
diff --git a/spec/features/projects/project_autocomplete_spec.rb b/spec/features/projects/project_autocomplete_spec.rb
index f9a349a152f8..7af5b299cff0 100644
--- a/spec/features/projects/project_autocomplete_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/features/projects/project_autocomplete_spec.rb
@@ -110,10 +110,11 @@
       expect(page).to have_no_css("strong")
     end
 
-    # Expect fuzzy matches for plain
+    # Expect fuzzy matches for multiple substrings
     top_menu.search "Plain pr"
     top_menu.expect_result "Plain project"
-    top_menu.expect_no_result "Plain other project"
+    top_menu.expect_result "Plain other project"
+    top_menu.expect_no_result "Project with different name and identifier"
 
     # Expect search to match names only and not the identifier
     top_menu.clear_search