diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.c b/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.c
index 65c3d69..da47759 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.c
@@ -328,6 +328,7 @@ VIR_ENUM_IMPL(virQEMUCaps, QEMU_CAPS_LAST,
               "device-tray-moved-event",
               "nec-usb-xhci-ports",
               "virtio-scsi-pci.iothread",
+              "name-guest",
     );
 
 
@@ -2666,6 +2667,7 @@ static struct virQEMUCapsCommandLineProps virQEMUCapsCommandLine[] = {
     { "spice", "gl", QEMU_CAPS_SPICE_GL },
     { "chardev", "logfile", QEMU_CAPS_CHARDEV_LOGFILE },
     { "name", "debug-threads", QEMU_CAPS_NAME_DEBUG_THREADS },
+    { "name", "guest", QEMU_CAPS_NAME_GUEST },
 };
 
 static int
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.h b/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.h
index e7d0a60..9145f2d 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.h
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_capabilities.h
@@ -359,6 +359,7 @@ typedef enum {
     QEMU_CAPS_DEVICE_TRAY_MOVED, /* DEVICE_TRAY_MOVED event */
     QEMU_CAPS_NEC_USB_XHCI_PORTS, /* -device nec-usb-xhci.p3 ports setting */
     QEMU_CAPS_VIRTIO_SCSI_IOTHREAD, /* virtio-scsi-{pci,ccw}.iothread */
+    QEMU_CAPS_NAME_GUEST, /* -name guest= */
 
     QEMU_CAPS_LAST /* this must always be the last item */
 } virQEMUCapsFlags;
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_command.c b/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
index c2f55b5..570566c 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_command.c
@@ -6790,6 +6790,10 @@ qemuBuildNameCommandLine(virCommandPtr cmd,
 
     virCommandAddArg(cmd, "-name");
 
+    /* The 'guest' option let's us handle a name with '=' embedded in it */
+    if (virQEMUCapsGet(qemuCaps, QEMU_CAPS_NAME_GUEST))
+        virBufferAddLit(&buf, "guest=");
+
     virBufferEscape(&buf, ',', ",", "%s", def->name);
 
     if (cfg->setProcessName &&
diff --git a/tests/qemucapabilitiesdata/caps_2.1.1-1.caps b/tests/qemucapabilitiesdata/caps_2.1.1-1.caps
index 729000f..29214bb 100644
--- a/tests/qemucapabilitiesdata/caps_2.1.1-1.caps
+++ b/tests/qemucapabilitiesdata/caps_2.1.1-1.caps
@@ -164,4 +164,5 @@
     <flag name='debug-threads'/>
     <flag name='device-tray-moved-event'/>
     <flag name='nec-usb-xhci-ports'/>
+    <flag name='name-guest'/>
   </qemuCaps>
diff --git a/tests/qemucapabilitiesdata/caps_2.4.0-1.caps b/tests/qemucapabilitiesdata/caps_2.4.0-1.caps
index 8009b8f..7b1de29 100644
--- a/tests/qemucapabilitiesdata/caps_2.4.0-1.caps
+++ b/tests/qemucapabilitiesdata/caps_2.4.0-1.caps
@@ -177,4 +177,5 @@
     <flag name='device-tray-moved-event'/>
     <flag name='nec-usb-xhci-ports'/>
     <flag name='virtio-scsi-pci.iothread'/>
+    <flag name='name-guest'/>
   </qemuCaps>
diff --git a/tests/qemucapabilitiesdata/caps_2.5.0-1.caps b/tests/qemucapabilitiesdata/caps_2.5.0-1.caps
index e139455..19192da 100644
--- a/tests/qemucapabilitiesdata/caps_2.5.0-1.caps
+++ b/tests/qemucapabilitiesdata/caps_2.5.0-1.caps
@@ -178,4 +178,5 @@
     <flag name='device-tray-moved-event'/>
     <flag name='nec-usb-xhci-ports'/>
     <flag name='virtio-scsi-pci.iothread'/>
+    <flag name='name-guest'/>
   </qemuCaps>
diff --git a/tests/qemucapabilitiesdata/caps_2.6.0-1.caps b/tests/qemucapabilitiesdata/caps_2.6.0-1.caps
index ec5bfcc..59f637f 100644
--- a/tests/qemucapabilitiesdata/caps_2.6.0-1.caps
+++ b/tests/qemucapabilitiesdata/caps_2.6.0-1.caps
@@ -183,4 +183,5 @@
     <flag name='device-tray-moved-event'/>
     <flag name='nec-usb-xhci-ports'/>
     <flag name='virtio-scsi-pci.iothread'/>
+    <flag name='name-guest'/>
   </qemuCaps>
diff --git a/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-name-escape.args b/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-name-escape.args
index 772d94f..7ecdca5 100644
--- a/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-name-escape.args
+++ b/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-name-escape.args
@@ -5,17 +5,17 @@ USER=test \
 LOGNAME=test \
 QEMU_AUDIO_DRV=none \
 /usr/bin/qemu \
--name foo,,bar,debug-threads=on \
+-name guest=foo=1,,bar=2,debug-threads=on \
 -S \
--object secret,id=masterKey0,format=raw,file=/tmp/lib/domain--1-foo,,\
-bar/master-key.aes \
+-object secret,id=masterKey0,format=raw,file=/tmp/lib/domain--1-foo=1,,\
+bar=2/master-key.aes \
 -M pc \
 -m 214 \
 -smp 1 \
 -uuid c7a5fdbd-edaf-9455-926a-d65c16db1809 \
 -nographic \
 -nodefaults \
--chardev socket,id=charmonitor,path=/tmp/lib/domain--1-foo,,bar/monitor.sock,\
+-chardev socket,id=charmonitor,path=/tmp/lib/domain--1-foo=1,,bar=2/monitor.sock,\
 server,nowait \
 -mon chardev=charmonitor,id=monitor,mode=readline \
 -no-acpi \
diff --git a/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-name-escape.xml b/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-name-escape.xml
index 3a8c3cd..0057062 100644
--- a/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-name-escape.xml
+++ b/tests/qemuxml2argvdata/qemuxml2argv-name-escape.xml
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 <domain type='qemu'>
-  <name>foo,bar</name>
+  <name>foo=1,bar=2</name>
   <uuid>c7a5fdbd-edaf-9455-926a-d65c16db1809</uuid>
   <memory unit='KiB'>219100</memory>
   <currentMemory unit='KiB'>219100</currentMemory>
diff --git a/tests/qemuxml2argvtest.c b/tests/qemuxml2argvtest.c
index d8834cb..d7b06cf 100644
--- a/tests/qemuxml2argvtest.c
+++ b/tests/qemuxml2argvtest.c
@@ -1894,7 +1894,7 @@ mymain(void)
                               NONE);
 
     DO_TEST("name-escape", QEMU_CAPS_NAME_DEBUG_THREADS,
-            QEMU_CAPS_OBJECT_SECRET, QEMU_CAPS_CHARDEV);
+            QEMU_CAPS_OBJECT_SECRET, QEMU_CAPS_CHARDEV, QEMU_CAPS_NAME_GUEST);
     DO_TEST("debug-threads", QEMU_CAPS_NAME_DEBUG_THREADS);
 
     DO_TEST("master-key", QEMU_CAPS_OBJECT_SECRET);
