New Shopify Gift Card Feature - "Recipient Name" variable tag not working in emails

[ckayne]

I just updated my theme to enable the new "send as gift" Gift Card feature, so I am designing the emails on Klaviyo and then exporting the HTML code to Shopify's two new notification templates per this. Every variable tag that was in the default Shopify email templates works, except recipient's name. 

The only place this tag works correctly is in Shopify's default subject line on the buyer's email. The code that works for it there is:

{% if gift_card.recipient.nickname != blank %}{{ gift_card.recipient.nickname }}{% elsif gift_card.recipient.name != blank %}{{ gift_card.recipient.name }}{% else %}{{ gift_card.recipient.email }}{% endif %}{% endif %}

When I use this code exactly, within the email body, Shopify shows an error. When I parse out the bits that I think SHOULD work in the email body, such as {{ gift_card.recipient.name }} then the name which shows in this place is the BUYER'S name, not the recipient's name. 

[Liquify]

{{ gift_card.recipient.name }} -> gives the buyers name, I don't know why
in one case it was giving me the name of another customer in the same shopify account with the email used for testing

{{ gift_card.recipient.nickname }} is giving me the correct name for recipient
and no error when saving as of today
docs are poor here