diff --git a/neo/rawio/axonrawio.py b/neo/rawio/axonrawio.py
index 451aa688a..774b280c3 100644
--- a/neo/rawio/axonrawio.py
+++ b/neo/rawio/axonrawio.py
@@ -232,15 +232,22 @@ def _parse_header(self):
         signal_channels = []
         adc_nums = []
         for chan_index, chan_id in enumerate(channel_ids):
+            # Name fields are fixed-width and right-padded with spaces (v1) or already trimmed (v2).
+            # Strip the padding but keep interior spaces (e.g. "IN 1"); errors="replace" so an odd
+            # byte can never crash the read.
             if version < 2.0:
-                name = info["sADCChannelName"][chan_id].replace(b" ", b"")
+                name = info["sADCChannelName"][chan_id].decode("utf-8", errors="replace").strip()
                 units = safe_decode_units(info["sADCUnits"][chan_id])
                 adc_num = info["nADCPtoLChannelMap"][chan_id]
             elif version >= 2.0:
                 ADCInfo = info["listADCInfo"][chan_id]
-                name = ADCInfo["ADCChNames"].replace(b" ", b"")
+                name = ADCInfo["ADCChNames"].decode("utf-8", errors="replace").strip()
                 units = safe_decode_units(ADCInfo["ADCChUnits"])
                 adc_num = ADCInfo["nADCNum"]
+            if not name:
+                # A blank name leaves the channel unaddressable; fall back to a positional name so
+                # every channel keeps a usable id.
+                name = f"ch{chan_id}"
             adc_nums.append(adc_num)
 
             if info["nDataFormat"] == 0:
@@ -705,9 +712,10 @@ def _parse_abf_v1(f, header_description):
         listTag.append(tag)
     header["listTag"] = listTag
 
-    # protocol name formatting
-    header["sProtocolPath"] = clean_string(header["sProtocolPath"])
-    header["sProtocolPath"] = header["sProtocolPath"].replace(b"\\", b"/")
+    # protocol name formatting. Decode to str (like the channel names) so consumers get a plain
+    # string rather than a bytes value, whose str() would bake the "b'...'" repr into the path.
+    header["sProtocolPath"] = clean_string(header["sProtocolPath"]).decode("utf-8", errors="replace")
+    header["sProtocolPath"] = header["sProtocolPath"].replace("\\", "/")
 
     # date and time
     # lFileStartDate is a YYYYMMDD-packed integer, parsed the same way as uFileStartDate in ABF2.
@@ -995,7 +1003,8 @@ def _parse_abf_v2(f, header_description):
         else:
             protocol[key] = np.array(val)
     header["protocol"] = protocol
-    header["sProtocolPath"] = strings[header["uProtocolPathIndex"]]
+    # Decode to str (like the channel names) so consumers get a plain string, not raw bytes.
+    header["sProtocolPath"] = strings[header["uProtocolPathIndex"]].decode("utf-8", errors="replace")
 
     # tags
     listTag = []
diff --git a/neo/test/rawiotest/test_axonrawio.py b/neo/test/rawiotest/test_axonrawio.py
index 17f522c2c..963587113 100644
--- a/neo/test/rawiotest/test_axonrawio.py
+++ b/neo/test/rawiotest/test_axonrawio.py
@@ -30,6 +30,33 @@ def test_read_raw_protocol(self):
 
         reader.read_raw_protocol()
 
+    def test_empty_channel_name_gets_fallback(self):
+        # Some ABF files store a blank ADC channel name, which collapses to "" after space
+        # stripping and leaves the channel unaddressable by name. A positional fallback (ch{id})
+        # must be used instead so every channel keeps a usable name.
+        path = self.get_local_path("axon/intracellular_data/abf1_episodic_empty_channel_name.abf")
+        reader = AxonRawIO(filename=path)
+        reader.parse_header()
+        names = list(reader.header["signal_channels"]["name"])
+        self.assertNotIn("", names)
+        self.assertEqual(names, ["ch0"])
+
+    def test_channel_name_keeps_interior_space(self):
+        # Channel names are stripped of padding but keep interior spaces (e.g. "IN 1", not "IN1")
+        # and are returned as str.
+        reader = AxonRawIO(filename=self.get_local_path("axon/File_axon_7.abf"))
+        reader.parse_header()
+        names = list(reader.header["signal_channels"]["name"])
+        self.assertEqual(names, ["IN 1"])
+
+    def test_protocol_path_decoded_to_str(self):
+        # String header fields should be decoded to str, not left as raw bytes; otherwise a caller
+        # doing str(value) gets the "b'...'" byte-literal repr baked into the path.
+        for fixture in ["axon/File_axon_1.abf", "axon/File_axon_2.abf"]:  # v2 and v1
+            reader = AxonRawIO(filename=self.get_local_path(fixture))
+            reader.parse_header()
+            self.assertIsInstance(reader._axon_info["sProtocolPath"], str)
+
     def test_integer_overflow_size_raises(self):
         # An ABF header that claims more samples than the file can hold must raise a
         # clear error instead of silently returning an overflowed signal size.