diff --git a/src/comp/metadata/decoder.rs b/src/comp/metadata/decoder.rs
index c076b044f52b..ace34b79a0c2 100644
--- a/src/comp/metadata/decoder.rs
+++ b/src/comp/metadata/decoder.rs
@@ -246,6 +246,7 @@ fn get_tag_variants(cdata: cmd, id: ast::node_id, tcx: ty::ctxt)
     for did: ast::def_id in variant_ids {
         let item = find_item(did.node, items);
         let ctor_ty = item_type(item, tcx, cdata);
+        let name = item_name(item);
         let arg_tys: [ty::t] = [];
         alt ty::struct(tcx, ctor_ty) {
           ty::ty_fn(f) {
@@ -257,8 +258,8 @@ fn get_tag_variants(cdata: cmd, id: ast::node_id, tcx: ty::ctxt)
           some(val) { disr_val = val; }
           _         { /* empty */ }
         }
-        infos += [@{args: arg_tys, ctor_ty: ctor_ty, id: did,
-                    disr_val: disr_val}];
+        infos += [@{args: arg_tys, ctor_ty: ctor_ty, name: name,
+                    id: did, disr_val: disr_val}];
         disr_val += 1;
     }
     ret infos;
diff --git a/src/comp/metadata/encoder.rs b/src/comp/metadata/encoder.rs
index 41235c01d3dc..1a0a6cfef908 100644
--- a/src/comp/metadata/encoder.rs
+++ b/src/comp/metadata/encoder.rs
@@ -239,6 +239,7 @@ fn encode_tag_variant_info(ecx: @encode_ctxt, ebml_w: ebml::writer,
         ebml::start_tag(ebml_w, tag_items_data_item);
         encode_def_id(ebml_w, local_def(variant.node.id));
         encode_family(ebml_w, 'v' as u8);
+        encode_name(ebml_w, variant.node.name);
         encode_tag_id(ebml_w, local_def(id));
         encode_type(ecx, ebml_w,
                     node_id_to_monotype(ecx.ccx.tcx, variant.node.id));
diff --git a/src/comp/middle/shape.rs b/src/comp/middle/shape.rs
index b867bd67b8f1..8e49aeaa0803 100644
--- a/src/comp/middle/shape.rs
+++ b/src/comp/middle/shape.rs
@@ -458,6 +458,15 @@ fn shape_of_variant(ccx: @crate_ctxt, v: ty::variant_info,
     ret s;
 }
 
+//fn variant_names(ccx: @crate_ctxt, tag_id: ast::def_id) -> [str] {
+//    assert ast::local_crate == tag_id.crate;
+//    alt ccx.tcx.items.get(tag_id.node) {
+//      ast_map::node_item(@{node: ast::item_tag(variants, _), _}) {
+//        vec::map(variants) {|variant| variant.node.name}
+//      }
+//    }
+//}
+
 fn gen_tag_shapes(ccx: @crate_ctxt) -> ValueRef {
     // Loop over all the tag variants and write their shapes into a data
     // buffer. As we do this, it's possible for us to discover new tags, so we
@@ -471,11 +480,14 @@ fn gen_tag_shapes(ccx: @crate_ctxt) -> ValueRef {
         let item_tyt = ty::lookup_item_type(ccx.tcx, did);
         let ty_param_count = vec::len(*item_tyt.bounds);
 
-        for v: ty::variant_info in *variants {
+        vec::iter(*variants) {|v|
             offsets += [vec::len(data) as u16];
 
             let variant_shape = shape_of_variant(ccx, v, ty_param_count);
             add_substr(data, variant_shape);
+
+            let zname = str::bytes(v.name) + [0u8];
+            add_substr(data, zname);
         }
 
         i += 1u;
diff --git a/src/comp/middle/ty.rs b/src/comp/middle/ty.rs
index 59fd826791a3..18ec1e86f3ec 100644
--- a/src/comp/middle/ty.rs
+++ b/src/comp/middle/ty.rs
@@ -2633,8 +2633,8 @@ fn impl_iface(cx: ctxt, id: ast::def_id) -> option::t<t> {
 }
 
 // Tag information
-type variant_info = @{args: [ty::t], ctor_ty: ty::t, id: ast::def_id,
-                      disr_val: int};
+type variant_info = @{args: [ty::t], ctor_ty: ty::t, name: str,
+                      id: ast::def_id, disr_val: int};
 
 fn tag_variants(cx: ctxt, id: ast::def_id) -> @[variant_info] {
     alt cx.tag_var_cache.find(id) {
@@ -2666,6 +2666,7 @@ fn tag_variants(cx: ctxt, id: ast::def_id) -> @[variant_info] {
                 }
                 @{args: arg_tys,
                   ctor_ty: ctor_ty,
+                  name: variant.node.name,
                   id: ast_util::local_def(variant.node.id),
                   disr_val: disr_val
                  }
diff --git a/src/rt/rust_shape.cpp b/src/rt/rust_shape.cpp
index 961cfe7bc461..37d8a42e95a1 100644
--- a/src/rt/rust_shape.cpp
+++ b/src/rt/rust_shape.cpp
@@ -358,7 +358,8 @@ public:
     void walk_res2(const rust_fn *dtor, uint16_t n_ty_params,
                    const type_param *ty_params_sp, const uint8_t *end_sp,
                    const data_pair<uintptr_t> &live);
-    void walk_variant2(tag_info &tinfo, tag_variant_t variant_id,
+    void walk_variant2(tag_info &tinfo,
+                       tag_variant_t variant_id,
                        const std::pair<const uint8_t *,const uint8_t *>
                        variant_ptr_and_end);
 
@@ -413,7 +414,8 @@ cmp::walk_res2(const rust_fn *dtor, uint16_t n_ty_params,
 }
 
 void
-cmp::walk_variant2(tag_info &tinfo, tag_variant_t variant_id,
+cmp::walk_variant2(tag_info &tinfo,
+                   tag_variant_t variant_id,
                    const std::pair<const uint8_t *,const uint8_t *>
                    variant_ptr_and_end) {
     cmp sub(*this, variant_ptr_and_end.first, tinfo.params);
@@ -485,7 +487,8 @@ log::walk_vec2(bool is_pod, const std::pair<ptr,ptr> &data) {
 }
 
 void
-log::walk_variant2(tag_info &tinfo, tag_variant_t variant_id,
+log::walk_variant2(tag_info &tinfo,
+                   tag_variant_t variant_id,
                    const std::pair<const uint8_t *,const uint8_t *>
                    variant_ptr_and_end) {
     log sub(*this, variant_ptr_and_end.first, tinfo.params);
diff --git a/src/rt/rust_shape.h b/src/rt/rust_shape.h
index 41cc9c11fb37..848e304df302 100644
--- a/src/rt/rust_shape.h
+++ b/src/rt/rust_shape.h
@@ -246,6 +246,9 @@ public:
     std::pair<const uint8_t *,const uint8_t *>
     get_variant_sp(tag_info &info, tag_variant_t variant_id);
 
+    const char *
+    get_variant_name(tag_info &info, tag_variant_t variant_id);
+
 protected:
     inline uint8_t peek() { return *sp; }
 
@@ -415,9 +418,19 @@ ctxt<T>::get_variant_sp(tag_info &tinfo, tag_variant_t variant_id) {
     const uint8_t *variant_ptr = tables->tags + variant_offset;
     uint16_t variant_len = get_u16_bump(variant_ptr);
     const uint8_t *variant_end = variant_ptr + variant_len;
+    
     return std::make_pair(variant_ptr, variant_end);
 }
 
+template<typename T>
+const char *
+ctxt<T>::get_variant_name(tag_info &tinfo, tag_variant_t variant_id) {
+    std::pair<const uint8_t *,const uint8_t *> variant_ptr_and_end =
+      this->get_variant_sp(tinfo, variant_id);
+    // skip over the length to get the null-terminated string:
+    return (const char*)(variant_ptr_and_end.second + 2);
+}
+
 template<typename T>
 void
 ctxt<T>::walk_vec0() {
@@ -951,7 +964,7 @@ template<typename T,typename U>
 void
 data<T,U>::walk_variant1(tag_info &tinfo, tag_variant_t variant_id) {
     std::pair<const uint8_t *,const uint8_t *> variant_ptr_and_end =
-        this->get_variant_sp(tinfo, variant_id);
+      this->get_variant_sp(tinfo, variant_id);
     static_cast<T *>(this)->walk_variant2(tinfo, variant_id,
                                           variant_ptr_and_end);
 }
@@ -1128,7 +1141,8 @@ private:
     }
 
     void walk_tag2(tag_info &tinfo, tag_variant_t tag_variant) {
-        out << prefix << "tag" << tag_variant;
+        // out << prefix << "tag" << tag_variant;
+        out << prefix << get_variant_name(tinfo, tag_variant);
         data<log,ptr>::walk_variant1(tinfo, tag_variant);
     }
 
@@ -1187,9 +1201,10 @@ private:
 
     void walk_struct2(const uint8_t *end_sp);
     void walk_vec2(bool is_pod, const std::pair<ptr,ptr> &data);
-    void walk_variant2(tag_info &tinfo, tag_variant_t variant_id,
-                      const std::pair<const uint8_t *,const uint8_t *>
-                      variant_ptr_and_end);
+    void walk_variant2(tag_info &tinfo,
+                       tag_variant_t variant_id,
+                       const std::pair<const uint8_t *,const uint8_t *>
+                       variant_ptr_and_end);
     void walk_string2(const std::pair<ptr,ptr> &data);
     void walk_res2(const rust_fn *dtor, unsigned n_params,
                    const type_param *params, const uint8_t *end_sp, bool live);
diff --git a/src/test/run-pass/log-knows-the-names-of-variants-in-std.rs b/src/test/run-pass/log-knows-the-names-of-variants-in-std.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..1ac1e0e3ef56
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/run-pass/log-knows-the-names-of-variants-in-std.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+use std;
+import std::list;
+
+tag foo {
+  a(uint);
+  b(str);
+}
+
+fn check_log<T>(exp: str, v: T) {
+    assert exp == #fmt["%?", v];
+}
+
+fn main() {
+    let x = list::from_vec([a(22u), b("hi")]);
+    let exp = "cons(a(22), @cons(b(\"hi\"), @nil))";
+    assert #fmt["%?", x] == exp;
+    check_log(exp, x);
+}
diff --git a/src/test/run-pass/log-knows-the-names-of-variants.rs b/src/test/run-pass/log-knows-the-names-of-variants.rs
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..ac8e368540ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/test/run-pass/log-knows-the-names-of-variants.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+tag foo {
+  a(uint);
+  b(str);
+  c;
+}
+
+fn main() {
+    assert "a(22)" == #fmt["%?", a(22u)];
+    assert "b(\"hi\")" == #fmt["%?", b("hi")];
+    assert "c" == #fmt["%?", c];
+}