diff --git a/paddle/framework/block_desc.cc b/paddle/framework/block_desc.cc
index dd2ed87252102aee6d384f37365d19305f19b281..8579582e7e46a1bf097cb51054de7d563bc423f0 100644
--- a/paddle/framework/block_desc.cc
+++ b/paddle/framework/block_desc.cc
@@ -42,6 +42,30 @@ bool BlockDesc::HasVar(const std::string &name) const {
   return vars_.find(name) != vars_.end();
 }
 
+void BlockDesc::RenameVar(const std::string &old_name,
+                          const std::string &new_name) {
+  if (this->HasVar(old_name)) {
+    auto *var = this->Var(old_name);
+    var->SetName(new_name);
+    vars_[new_name].reset(var);
+    vars_.erase(old_name);
+    // rename inputs and outputs
+    for (const auto &op : ops_) {
+      auto *it = op.get();
+      for (auto in_name : it->InputArgumentNames()) {
+        if (in_name == old_name) {
+          it->RenameInput(old_name, new_name);
+        }
+      }
+      for (auto out_name : it->OutputArgumentNames()) {
+        if (out_name == old_name) {
+          it->RenameOutput(old_name, new_name);
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+}
+
 VarDesc *BlockDesc::FindVarRecursive(const std::string &name) const {
   if (name == kEmptyVarName) return nullptr;
 
diff --git a/paddle/framework/block_desc.h b/paddle/framework/block_desc.h
index 4b609e4bcb67bb8dda5924a639e7a8165eda4353..e87a543909d57c6839171ac296963f6e9ac3ef52 100644
--- a/paddle/framework/block_desc.h
+++ b/paddle/framework/block_desc.h
@@ -55,6 +55,8 @@ class BlockDesc {
 
   bool HasVar(const std::string &var_name) const;
 
+  void RenameVar(const std::string &old_name, const std::string &new_name);
+
   VarDesc *FindVarRecursive(const std::string &name_bytes) const;
 
   VarDesc &FindRecursiveOrCreateVar(const std::string &name_bytes);
diff --git a/paddle/pybind/protobuf.cc b/paddle/pybind/protobuf.cc
index 371d6119d4ab73e683821d0dc5db5194f44a64ce..f39dc47262903219d3c952743fb77346911e9c9d 100644
--- a/paddle/pybind/protobuf.cc
+++ b/paddle/pybind/protobuf.cc
@@ -171,6 +171,12 @@ void BindBlockDesc(py::module &m) {
              std::string name = byte_name;
              return self.HasVar(name);
            })
+      .def("rename_var",
+           [](BlockDesc &self, py::bytes byte_name, py::bytes byte_name_new) {
+             std::string name = byte_name;
+             std::string new_name = byte_name_new;
+             return self.RenameVar(name, new_name);
+           })
       .def("has_var_recursive",
            [](BlockDesc &self, py::bytes byte_name) {
              std::string name = byte_name;
diff --git a/python/paddle/v2/fluid/distribute_transpiler.py b/python/paddle/v2/fluid/distribute_transpiler.py
index 4533405e4613804b54ed9c4fba3bd76b4990cc32..89e467b0bdb244d21c32de968a608d92b732e5a6 100644
--- a/python/paddle/v2/fluid/distribute_transpiler.py
+++ b/python/paddle/v2/fluid/distribute_transpiler.py
@@ -203,7 +203,7 @@ class DistributeTranspiler:
                 block_map[varname] = []
             block_map[varname].append((long(offset), long(size)))
         for varname, splited in block_map.iteritems():
-            orig_var = program.global_block().vars[varname]
+            orig_var = program.global_block().var(varname)
 
             if len(splited) == 1:
                 # rename var to the trainer_id var
diff --git a/python/paddle/v2/fluid/framework.py b/python/paddle/v2/fluid/framework.py
index 415960f512f4fb2f90583ba0cbf5f59e19197f0d..5e7dd9837323bd23a19c79d34ba7a291eb7928c8 100644
--- a/python/paddle/v2/fluid/framework.py
+++ b/python/paddle/v2/fluid/framework.py
@@ -740,15 +740,9 @@ class Block(object):
         """
         if not self.has_var(name):
             raise ValueError("var %s is not in current" % name)
-        orig_var = self.var(name)
-        del self.vars[name]
-        orig_var.name = new_name
-        self.vars[new_name] = orig_var
-        for op in self.ops:
-            if name in op.input_arg_names:
-                op.rename_input(name, new_name)
-            if name in op.output_arg_names:
-                op.rename_output(name, new_name)
+        self.desc.rename_var(name, new_name)
+        self.sync_with_cpp()
+        print("renamed var: ", self.var(new_name))
 
     def create_parameter(self, *args, **kwargs):
         global_block = self.program.global_block()
@@ -837,7 +831,7 @@ class Block(object):
         for p in other.iter_parameters():
             assert isinstance(p, Parameter)
             v = self.vars.get(p.name, None)
-            print("var shape to copy", v)
+            print("var shape to copy", v, p)
             if v is None:
                 raise ValueError("copy_param_info_from should be invoked with "
                                  "same topology")