diff --git a/activerecord/lib/active_record/named_scope.rb b/activerecord/lib/active_record/named_scope.rb
index b0c8a8b815d3a50b14bc237cb055010ec67c57c1..eac61e9e43ede169160bfdd81a8068b3c90ac25e 100644
--- a/activerecord/lib/active_record/named_scope.rb
+++ b/activerecord/lib/active_record/named_scope.rb
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ def scopes
       #   expected_options = { :conditions => { :colored => 'red' } }
       #   assert_equal expected_options, Shirt.colored('red').proxy_options
       def named_scope(name, options = {}, &block)
+        name = name.to_sym
         scopes[name] = lambda do |parent_scope, *args|
           Scope.new(parent_scope, case options
             when Hash
diff --git a/activerecord/test/cases/named_scope_test.rb b/activerecord/test/cases/named_scope_test.rb
index d890cf79369e90229eb500ba7fd852b2f02bce33..73673e0f0ed5b6880b30fa35d92f2c063570285c 100644
--- a/activerecord/test/cases/named_scope_test.rb
+++ b/activerecord/test/cases/named_scope_test.rb
@@ -59,6 +59,12 @@ def test_scopes_with_options_limit_finds_to_those_matching_the_criteria_specifie
     assert_equal Topic.count(:conditions => {:approved => true}), Topic.approved.count
   end
 
+  def test_scopes_with_string_name_can_be_composed
+    # NOTE that scopes defined with a string as a name worked on their own
+    # but when called on another scope the other scope was completely replaced
+    assert_equal Topic.replied.approved, Topic.replied.approved_as_string
+  end
+
   def test_scopes_are_composable
     assert_equal (approved = Topic.find(:all, :conditions => {:approved => true})), Topic.approved
     assert_equal (replied = Topic.find(:all, :conditions => 'replies_count > 0')), Topic.replied
diff --git a/activerecord/test/models/topic.rb b/activerecord/test/models/topic.rb
index f63e862cfda1e496d353826aa59e38924d4f8549..423b6fe52b4743bc00a4f7c53e18241466eb2ba8 100755
--- a/activerecord/test/models/topic.rb
+++ b/activerecord/test/models/topic.rb
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ class Topic < ActiveRecord::Base
     { :conditions => ['written_on < ?', time] }
   }
   named_scope :approved, :conditions => {:approved => true}
+  named_scope 'approved_as_string', :conditions => {:approved => true}
   named_scope :replied, :conditions => ['replies_count > 0']
   named_scope :anonymous_extension do
     def one