diff --git a/spec/std/string/utf16_spec.cr b/spec/std/string/utf16_spec.cr
index 49141c79ddd2..a092bd2a48a4 100644
--- a/spec/std/string/utf16_spec.cr
+++ b/spec/std/string/utf16_spec.cr
@@ -78,5 +78,11 @@ describe "String UTF16" do
       string, pointer = String.from_utf16(pointer)
       string.should eq("hello\u{d7ff}")
     end
+
+    it "allows creating from a null-terminated slice" do
+      String.from_utf16(Slice(UInt16).empty, truncate_at_null: true).should eq("")
+      String.from_utf16(UInt16.slice(102, 111, 111, 98, 97, 114), truncate_at_null: true).should eq("foobar")
+      String.from_utf16(UInt16.slice(102, 111, 111, 0, 98, 97, 114), truncate_at_null: true).should eq("foo")
+    end
   end
 end
diff --git a/spec/std/string_spec.cr b/spec/std/string_spec.cr
index fd85a196aaaa..6a42ec44ded1 100644
--- a/spec/std/string_spec.cr
+++ b/spec/std/string_spec.cr
@@ -2234,6 +2234,16 @@ describe "String" do
     it "allows creating from an empty slice" do
       String.new(Bytes.empty).should eq("")
     end
+
+    it "allows creating from a non-empty slice" do
+      String.new(UInt8.slice(102, 111, 111, 0, 98, 97, 114)).should eq("foo\0bar")
+    end
+
+    it "allows creating from a null-terminated slice" do
+      String.new(Bytes.empty, truncate_at_null: true).should eq("")
+      String.new(UInt8.slice(102, 111, 111, 98, 97, 114), truncate_at_null: true).should eq("foobar")
+      String.new(UInt8.slice(102, 111, 111, 0, 98, 97, 114), truncate_at_null: true).should eq("foo")
+    end
   end
 
   describe "tr" do
diff --git a/src/crystal/pe.cr b/src/crystal/pe.cr
index d1b19401ad19..a9f86f56ac4e 100644
--- a/src/crystal/pe.cr
+++ b/src/crystal/pe.cr
@@ -52,11 +52,11 @@ module Crystal
         if nt_header.name[0] === '/'
           # section name is longer than 8 bytes; look up the COFF string table
           name_buf = nt_header.name.to_slice + 1
-          string_offset = String.new(name_buf.to_unsafe, name_buf.index(0) || name_buf.size).to_i
+          string_offset = String.new(name_buf, truncate_at_null: true).to_i
           io.seek(@string_table_base + string_offset)
           name = io.gets('\0', chomp: true).not_nil!
         else
-          name = String.new(nt_header.name.to_unsafe, nt_header.name.index(0) || nt_header.name.size)
+          name = String.new(nt_header.name.to_slice, truncate_at_null: true)
         end
 
         SectionHeader.new(name: name, virtual_offset: nt_header.virtualAddress, offset: nt_header.pointerToRawData, size: nt_header.virtualSize)
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ module Crystal
           io.seek(@string_table_base + sym.n.name.long)
           name = io.gets('\0', chomp: true).not_nil!
         else
-          name = String.new(sym.n.shortName.to_slice).rstrip('\0')
+          name = String.new(sym.n.shortName.to_slice, truncate_at_null: true)
         end
 
         # `@coff_symbols` uses zero-based indices
diff --git a/src/crystal/system/win32/library_archive.cr b/src/crystal/system/win32/library_archive.cr
index 24c50f3405fa..25b848bf1118 100644
--- a/src/crystal/system/win32/library_archive.cr
+++ b/src/crystal/system/win32/library_archive.cr
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ module Crystal::System::LibraryArchive
           section_header = uninitialized LibC::IMAGE_SECTION_HEADER
           return unless io.read_fully?(pointerof(section_header).to_slice(1).to_unsafe_bytes)
 
-          name = String.new(section_header.name.to_unsafe, section_header.name.index(0) || section_header.name.size)
+          name = String.new(section_header.name.to_slice, truncate_at_null: true)
           next unless name == (msvc? ? ".idata$6" : ".idata$7")
 
           if msvc? ? section_header.characteristics.bits_set?(LibC::IMAGE_SCN_CNT_INITIALIZED_DATA) : section_header.pointerToRelocations == 0
diff --git a/src/socket/address.cr b/src/socket/address.cr
index d78ba35621fc..ab4e5a00d7d4 100644
--- a/src/socket/address.cr
+++ b/src/socket/address.cr
@@ -916,7 +916,7 @@ class Socket
     {% unless flag?(:wasm32) %}
       protected def initialize(sockaddr : LibC::SockaddrUn*, size)
         @family = Family::UNIX
-        @path = String.new(sockaddr.value.sun_path.to_unsafe)
+        @path = String.new(sockaddr.value.sun_path.to_slice, truncate_at_null: true)
         @size = size || sizeof(LibC::SockaddrUn)
       end
     {% end %}
@@ -933,7 +933,7 @@ class Socket
       {% else %}
         sockaddr = Pointer(LibC::SockaddrUn).malloc
         sockaddr.value.sun_family = family
-        sockaddr.value.sun_path.to_unsafe.copy_from(@path.to_unsafe, @path.bytesize + 1)
+        sockaddr.value.sun_path.to_unsafe.copy_from(@path.to_unsafe, {@path.bytesize + 1, sockaddr.value.sun_path.size}.min)
         sockaddr.as(LibC::Sockaddr*)
       {% end %}
     end
diff --git a/src/string.cr b/src/string.cr
index 19337fc7efc9..e642b2d21a94 100644
--- a/src/string.cr
+++ b/src/string.cr
@@ -159,12 +159,24 @@ class String
   # This method is always safe to call, and the resulting string will have
   # the contents and size of the slice.
   #
+  # If *truncate_at_null* is true, only the characters up to and not including
+  # the first null character are copied.
+  #
   # ```
   # slice = Slice.new(4) { |i| ('a'.ord + i).to_u8 }
   # String.new(slice) # => "abcd"
+  #
+  # slice = UInt8.slice(102, 111, 111, 0, 98, 97, 114)
+  # String.new(slice, truncate_at_null: true) # => "foo"
   # ```
-  def self.new(slice : Bytes)
-    new(slice.to_unsafe, slice.size)
+  def self.new(slice : Bytes, *, truncate_at_null : Bool = false)
+    bytesize = slice.size
+    if truncate_at_null
+      if index = slice.index(0)
+        bytesize = index
+      end
+    end
+    new(slice.to_unsafe, bytesize)
   end
 
   # Creates a new `String` from the given *bytes*, which are encoded in the given *encoding*.
diff --git a/src/string/utf16.cr b/src/string/utf16.cr
index 697c1b585a37..6f85a5c916d9 100644
--- a/src/string/utf16.cr
+++ b/src/string/utf16.cr
@@ -48,21 +48,27 @@ class String
   # Invalid values are encoded using the unicode replacement char with
   # codepoint `0xfffd`.
   #
+  # If *truncate_at_null* is true, only the characters up to and not including
+  # the first null character are copied.
+  #
   # ```
   # slice = Slice[104_u16, 105_u16, 32_u16, 55296_u16, 56485_u16]
   # String.from_utf16(slice) # => "hi 𐂥"
+  #
+  # slice = UInt16.slice(102, 111, 111, 0, 98, 97, 114)
+  # String.from_utf16(slice, truncate_at_null: true) # => "foo"
   # ```
-  def self.from_utf16(slice : Slice(UInt16)) : String
+  def self.from_utf16(slice : Slice(UInt16), *, truncate_at_null : Bool = false) : String
     bytesize = 0
     size = 0
 
-    each_utf16_char(slice) do |char|
+    each_utf16_char(slice, truncate_at_null: truncate_at_null) do |char|
       bytesize += char.bytesize
       size += 1
     end
 
     String.new(bytesize) do |buffer|
-      each_utf16_char(slice) do |char|
+      each_utf16_char(slice, truncate_at_null: truncate_at_null) do |char|
         char.each_byte do |byte|
           buffer.value = byte
           buffer += 1
@@ -112,10 +118,11 @@ class String
   # :nodoc:
   #
   # Yields each decoded char in the given slice.
-  def self.each_utf16_char(slice : Slice(UInt16), &)
+  def self.each_utf16_char(slice : Slice(UInt16), *, truncate_at_null : Bool = false, &)
     i = 0
     while i < slice.size
       byte = slice[i].to_i
+      break if truncate_at_null && byte == 0
       if byte < 0xd800 || byte >= 0xe000
         # One byte
         codepoint = byte