diff --git a/builtin-fetch.c b/builtin-fetch.c
index ee93d3a93da0267caa485fa552c29d779aecfdf7..e008ee92ab1b2f78541a411603fa812fbb0c7139 100644
--- a/builtin-fetch.c
+++ b/builtin-fetch.c
@@ -521,8 +521,8 @@ static void find_non_local_tags(struct transport *transport,
 		     will_fetch(head, ref->old_sha1))) {
 			string_list_insert(ref_name, &new_refs);
 
-			rm = alloc_ref_from_str(ref_name);
-			rm->peer_ref = alloc_ref_from_str(ref_name);
+			rm = alloc_ref(ref_name);
+			rm->peer_ref = alloc_ref(ref_name);
 			hashcpy(rm->old_sha1, ref_sha1);
 
 			**tail = rm;
diff --git a/connect.c b/connect.c
index 67d2cd86a89a92f8f75baa7ae5e820ac3150f3b4..0c50d0a26a493f4505eee16812d14c5d7d1b7392 100644
--- a/connect.c
+++ b/connect.c
@@ -90,9 +90,8 @@ struct ref **get_remote_heads(int in, struct ref **list,
 			continue;
 		if (nr_match && !path_match(name, nr_match, match))
 			continue;
-		ref = alloc_ref(name_len + 1);
+		ref = alloc_ref(buffer + 41);
 		hashcpy(ref->old_sha1, old_sha1);
-		memcpy(ref->name, buffer + 41, name_len + 1);
 		*list = ref;
 		list = &ref->next;
 	}
diff --git a/http-push.c b/http-push.c
index 42f4d78e54edbb73d14952f5fb3992f2cebb40ae..5cecef434a7740a3f853462978c3e071b4da7e74 100644
--- a/http-push.c
+++ b/http-push.c
@@ -1780,7 +1780,7 @@ static void one_remote_ref(char *refname)
 	struct ref *ref;
 	struct object *obj;
 
-	ref = alloc_ref_from_str(refname);
+	ref = alloc_ref(refname);
 
 	if (http_fetch_ref(remote->url, ref) != 0) {
 		fprintf(stderr,
@@ -1887,7 +1887,7 @@ static void add_remote_info_ref(struct remote_ls_ctx *ls)
 	char *ref_info;
 	struct ref *ref;
 
-	ref = alloc_ref_from_str(ls->dentry_name);
+	ref = alloc_ref(ls->dentry_name);
 
 	if (http_fetch_ref(remote->url, ref) != 0) {
 		fprintf(stderr,
diff --git a/remote.c b/remote.c
index 8a04066d6142823183033aaff8754febe31ad1b0..e530a21e5c92e49012c459fba0eb7732672883c2 100644
--- a/remote.c
+++ b/remote.c
@@ -749,17 +749,19 @@ int remote_find_tracking(struct remote *remote, struct refspec *refspec)
 	return -1;
 }
 
-struct ref *alloc_ref(unsigned namelen)
+static struct ref *alloc_ref_with_prefix(const char *prefix, size_t prefixlen,
+		const char *name)
 {
-	struct ref *ret = xcalloc(1, sizeof(struct ref) + namelen);
-	return ret;
+	size_t len = strlen(name);
+	struct ref *ref = xcalloc(1, sizeof(struct ref) + prefixlen + len + 1);
+	memcpy(ref->name, prefix, prefixlen);
+	memcpy(ref->name + prefixlen, name, len);
+	return ref;
 }
 
-struct ref *alloc_ref_from_str(const char* str)
+struct ref *alloc_ref(const char *name)
 {
-	struct ref *ret = alloc_ref(strlen(str) + 1);
-	strcpy(ret->name, str);
-	return ret;
+	return alloc_ref_with_prefix("", 0, name);
 }
 
 static struct ref *copy_ref(const struct ref *ref)
@@ -870,21 +872,20 @@ static struct ref *try_explicit_object_name(const char *name)
 	struct ref *ref;
 
 	if (!*name) {
-		ref = alloc_ref(20);
-		strcpy(ref->name, "(delete)");
+		ref = alloc_ref("(delete)");
 		hashclr(ref->new_sha1);
 		return ref;
 	}
 	if (get_sha1(name, sha1))
 		return NULL;
-	ref = alloc_ref_from_str(name);
+	ref = alloc_ref(name);
 	hashcpy(ref->new_sha1, sha1);
 	return ref;
 }
 
 static struct ref *make_linked_ref(const char *name, struct ref ***tail)
 {
-	struct ref *ret = alloc_ref_from_str(name);
+	struct ref *ret = alloc_ref(name);
 	tail_link_ref(ret, tail);
 	return ret;
 }
@@ -1152,10 +1153,8 @@ static struct ref *get_expanded_map(const struct ref *remote_refs,
 			struct ref *cpy = copy_ref(ref);
 			match = ref->name + remote_prefix_len;
 
-			cpy->peer_ref = alloc_ref(local_prefix_len +
-						  strlen(match) + 1);
-			sprintf(cpy->peer_ref->name, "%s%s",
-				refspec->dst, match);
+			cpy->peer_ref = alloc_ref_with_prefix(refspec->dst,
+					local_prefix_len, match);
 			if (refspec->force)
 				cpy->peer_ref->force = 1;
 			*tail = cpy;
@@ -1188,25 +1187,18 @@ struct ref *get_remote_ref(const struct ref *remote_refs, const char *name)
 
 static struct ref *get_local_ref(const char *name)
 {
-	struct ref *ret;
 	if (!name)
 		return NULL;
 
-	if (!prefixcmp(name, "refs/")) {
-		return alloc_ref_from_str(name);
-	}
+	if (!prefixcmp(name, "refs/"))
+		return alloc_ref(name);
 
 	if (!prefixcmp(name, "heads/") ||
 	    !prefixcmp(name, "tags/") ||
-	    !prefixcmp(name, "remotes/")) {
-		ret = alloc_ref(strlen(name) + 6);
-		sprintf(ret->name, "refs/%s", name);
-		return ret;
-	}
+	    !prefixcmp(name, "remotes/"))
+		return alloc_ref_with_prefix("refs/", 5, name);
 
-	ret = alloc_ref(strlen(name) + 12);
-	sprintf(ret->name, "refs/heads/%s", name);
-	return ret;
+	return alloc_ref_with_prefix("refs/heads/", 11, name);
 }
 
 int get_fetch_map(const struct ref *remote_refs,
diff --git a/remote.h b/remote.h
index c6163ff5b1f7e7c96bedaa9a6b561a9f4a8ed7c2..d2e170ce664c0efd9ded356c171dabf4b26e452c 100644
--- a/remote.h
+++ b/remote.h
@@ -55,9 +55,7 @@ struct refspec {
 
 extern const struct refspec *tag_refspec;
 
-struct ref *alloc_ref(unsigned namelen);
-
-struct ref *alloc_ref_from_str(const char* str);
+struct ref *alloc_ref(const char *name);
 
 struct ref *copy_ref_list(const struct ref *ref);
 
diff --git a/transport.c b/transport.c
index 1c510a3360e26bc7cf622036574fe9d06c1aa6da..56831c57c5cf6500714c46c63581ca98662d58c3 100644
--- a/transport.c
+++ b/transport.c
@@ -75,7 +75,7 @@ static int read_loose_refs(struct strbuf *path, int name_offset,
 
 			if (fd < 0)
 				continue;
-			next = alloc_ref(path->len - name_offset + 1);
+			next = alloc_ref(path->buf + name_offset);
 			if (read_in_full(fd, buffer, 40) != 40 ||
 					get_sha1_hex(buffer, next->old_sha1)) {
 				close(fd);
@@ -83,7 +83,6 @@ static int read_loose_refs(struct strbuf *path, int name_offset,
 				continue;
 			}
 			close(fd);
-			strcpy(next->name, path->buf + name_offset);
 			(*tail)->next = next;
 			*tail = next;
 		}
@@ -127,14 +126,13 @@ static void insert_packed_refs(const char *packed_refs, struct ref **list)
 				      (*list)->next->name)) > 0)
 			list = &(*list)->next;
 		if (!(*list)->next || cmp < 0) {
-			struct ref *next = alloc_ref(len - 40);
+			struct ref *next = alloc_ref(buffer + 41);
 			buffer[40] = '\0';
 			if (get_sha1_hex(buffer, next->old_sha1)) {
 				warning ("invalid SHA-1: %s", buffer);
 				free(next);
 				continue;
 			}
-			strcpy(next->name, buffer + 41);
 			next->next = (*list)->next;
 			(*list)->next = next;
 			list = &(*list)->next;
@@ -501,7 +499,7 @@ static struct ref *get_refs_via_curl(struct transport *transport)
 
 	strbuf_release(&buffer);
 
-	ref = alloc_ref_from_str("HEAD");
+	ref = alloc_ref("HEAD");
 	if (!walker->fetch_ref(walker, ref) &&
 	    !resolve_remote_symref(ref, refs)) {
 		ref->next = refs;
@@ -542,7 +540,7 @@ static struct ref *get_refs_from_bundle(struct transport *transport)
 		die ("Could not read bundle '%s'.", transport->url);
 	for (i = 0; i < data->header.references.nr; i++) {
 		struct ref_list_entry *e = data->header.references.list + i;
-		struct ref *ref = alloc_ref_from_str(e->name);
+		struct ref *ref = alloc_ref(e->name);
 		hashcpy(ref->old_sha1, e->sha1);
 		ref->next = result;
 		result = ref;
diff --git a/walker.c b/walker.c
index 6b4cf70c6af1289501f72cbde78cd04da57293f3..679adab6a0fccef460acaf90b116b8c6cb9bd460 100644
--- a/walker.c
+++ b/walker.c
@@ -191,7 +191,7 @@ static int interpret_target(struct walker *walker, char *target, unsigned char *
 	if (!get_sha1_hex(target, sha1))
 		return 0;
 	if (!check_ref_format(target)) {
-		struct ref *ref = alloc_ref_from_str(target);
+		struct ref *ref = alloc_ref(target);
 		if (!walker->fetch_ref(walker, ref)) {
 			hashcpy(sha1, ref->old_sha1);
 			free(ref);