diff --git a/drivers/net/veth.c b/drivers/net/veth.c
index 9b945e60530e9a5a8a4daa67cc876787c6ef3ee1..8ad596573d1783d512ba4b40e2044909850e7f52 100644
--- a/drivers/net/veth.c
+++ b/drivers/net/veth.c
@@ -335,6 +335,7 @@ static int veth_newlink(struct net *src_net, struct net_device *dev,
 	struct veth_priv *priv;
 	char ifname[IFNAMSIZ];
 	struct nlattr *peer_tb[IFLA_MAX + 1], **tbp;
+	unsigned char name_assign_type;
 	struct ifinfomsg *ifmp;
 	struct net *net;
 
@@ -362,16 +363,20 @@ static int veth_newlink(struct net *src_net, struct net_device *dev,
 		tbp = tb;
 	}
 
-	if (tbp[IFLA_IFNAME])
+	if (tbp[IFLA_IFNAME]) {
 		nla_strlcpy(ifname, tbp[IFLA_IFNAME], IFNAMSIZ);
-	else
+		name_assign_type = NET_NAME_USER;
+	} else {
 		snprintf(ifname, IFNAMSIZ, DRV_NAME "%%d");
+		name_assign_type = NET_NAME_ENUM;
+	}
 
 	net = rtnl_link_get_net(src_net, tbp);
 	if (IS_ERR(net))
 		return PTR_ERR(net);
 
-	peer = rtnl_create_link(net, ifname, &veth_link_ops, tbp);
+	peer = rtnl_create_link(net, ifname, name_assign_type,
+				&veth_link_ops, tbp);
 	if (IS_ERR(peer)) {
 		put_net(net);
 		return PTR_ERR(peer);
diff --git a/include/net/rtnetlink.h b/include/net/rtnetlink.h
index 72240e5ac2c4b2223e9e1706c81974f11d7eafc6..e21b9f9653c011fe11634e2e5e745d4e5d7a9bf9 100644
--- a/include/net/rtnetlink.h
+++ b/include/net/rtnetlink.h
@@ -136,6 +136,7 @@ void rtnl_af_unregister(struct rtnl_af_ops *ops);
 
 struct net *rtnl_link_get_net(struct net *src_net, struct nlattr *tb[]);
 struct net_device *rtnl_create_link(struct net *net, char *ifname,
+				    unsigned char name_assign_type,
 				    const struct rtnl_link_ops *ops,
 				    struct nlattr *tb[]);
 int rtnl_configure_link(struct net_device *dev, const struct ifinfomsg *ifm);
diff --git a/net/core/rtnetlink.c b/net/core/rtnetlink.c
index 599864322de835fcc7cffc68475644a3de15e5db..e9918020dbc989c8521a53da9213ee780839e3a2 100644
--- a/net/core/rtnetlink.c
+++ b/net/core/rtnetlink.c
@@ -1810,7 +1810,8 @@ int rtnl_configure_link(struct net_device *dev, const struct ifinfomsg *ifm)
 EXPORT_SYMBOL(rtnl_configure_link);
 
 struct net_device *rtnl_create_link(struct net *net,
-	char *ifname, const struct rtnl_link_ops *ops, struct nlattr *tb[])
+	char *ifname, unsigned char name_assign_type,
+	const struct rtnl_link_ops *ops, struct nlattr *tb[])
 {
 	int err;
 	struct net_device *dev;
@@ -1828,7 +1829,7 @@ struct net_device *rtnl_create_link(struct net *net,
 		num_rx_queues = ops->get_num_rx_queues();
 
 	err = -ENOMEM;
-	dev = alloc_netdev_mqs(ops->priv_size, ifname, NET_NAME_UNKNOWN,
+	dev = alloc_netdev_mqs(ops->priv_size, ifname, name_assign_type,
 			       ops->setup, num_tx_queues, num_rx_queues);
 	if (!dev)
 		goto err;
@@ -1894,6 +1895,7 @@ static int rtnl_newlink(struct sk_buff *skb, struct nlmsghdr *nlh)
 	char ifname[IFNAMSIZ];
 	struct nlattr *tb[IFLA_MAX+1];
 	struct nlattr *linkinfo[IFLA_INFO_MAX+1];
+	unsigned char name_assign_type = NET_NAME_USER;
 	int err;
 
 #ifdef CONFIG_MODULES
@@ -2046,14 +2048,16 @@ static int rtnl_newlink(struct sk_buff *skb, struct nlmsghdr *nlh)
 		if (!ops->setup)
 			return -EOPNOTSUPP;
 
-		if (!ifname[0])
+		if (!ifname[0]) {
 			snprintf(ifname, IFNAMSIZ, "%s%%d", ops->kind);
+			name_assign_type = NET_NAME_ENUM;
+		}
 
 		dest_net = rtnl_link_get_net(net, tb);
 		if (IS_ERR(dest_net))
 			return PTR_ERR(dest_net);
 
-		dev = rtnl_create_link(dest_net, ifname, ops, tb);
+		dev = rtnl_create_link(dest_net, ifname, name_assign_type, ops, tb);
 		if (IS_ERR(dev)) {
 			err = PTR_ERR(dev);
 			goto out;