diff --git a/pandas/src/generate_code.py b/pandas/src/generate_code.py
index c7897e7def4d3..9e1830618f14e 100644
--- a/pandas/src/generate_code.py
+++ b/pandas/src/generate_code.py
@@ -388,6 +388,10 @@ def pad_inplace_%(name)s(ndarray[%(c_type)s] values,
 
     N = len(values)
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
@@ -419,6 +423,10 @@ def pad_2d_inplace_%(name)s(ndarray[%(c_type)s, ndim=2] values,
 
     K, N = (<object> values).shape
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
@@ -451,6 +459,10 @@ def backfill_2d_inplace_%(name)s(ndarray[%(c_type)s, ndim=2] values,
 
     K, N = (<object> values).shape
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
@@ -483,6 +495,10 @@ def backfill_inplace_%(name)s(ndarray[%(c_type)s] values,
 
     N = len(values)
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
diff --git a/pandas/src/generated.pyx b/pandas/src/generated.pyx
index 5ecd8439a13ec..ade5afffbf78f 100644
--- a/pandas/src/generated.pyx
+++ b/pandas/src/generated.pyx
@@ -826,6 +826,10 @@ def pad_inplace_float64(ndarray[float64_t] values,
 
     N = len(values)
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
@@ -855,6 +859,10 @@ def pad_inplace_object(ndarray[object] values,
 
     N = len(values)
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
@@ -884,6 +892,10 @@ def pad_inplace_int32(ndarray[int32_t] values,
 
     N = len(values)
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
@@ -913,6 +925,10 @@ def pad_inplace_int64(ndarray[int64_t] values,
 
     N = len(values)
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
@@ -942,6 +958,10 @@ def pad_inplace_bool(ndarray[uint8_t] values,
 
     N = len(values)
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
@@ -972,6 +992,10 @@ def backfill_inplace_float64(ndarray[float64_t] values,
 
     N = len(values)
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
@@ -1000,6 +1024,10 @@ def backfill_inplace_object(ndarray[object] values,
 
     N = len(values)
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
@@ -1028,6 +1056,10 @@ def backfill_inplace_int32(ndarray[int32_t] values,
 
     N = len(values)
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
@@ -1056,6 +1088,10 @@ def backfill_inplace_int64(ndarray[int64_t] values,
 
     N = len(values)
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
@@ -1084,6 +1120,10 @@ def backfill_inplace_bool(ndarray[uint8_t] values,
 
     N = len(values)
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
@@ -1113,6 +1153,10 @@ def pad_2d_inplace_float64(ndarray[float64_t, ndim=2] values,
 
     K, N = (<object> values).shape
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
@@ -1143,6 +1187,10 @@ def pad_2d_inplace_object(ndarray[object, ndim=2] values,
 
     K, N = (<object> values).shape
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
@@ -1173,6 +1221,10 @@ def pad_2d_inplace_int32(ndarray[int32_t, ndim=2] values,
 
     K, N = (<object> values).shape
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
@@ -1203,6 +1255,10 @@ def pad_2d_inplace_int64(ndarray[int64_t, ndim=2] values,
 
     K, N = (<object> values).shape
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
@@ -1233,6 +1289,10 @@ def pad_2d_inplace_bool(ndarray[uint8_t, ndim=2] values,
 
     K, N = (<object> values).shape
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
@@ -1264,6 +1324,10 @@ def backfill_2d_inplace_float64(ndarray[float64_t, ndim=2] values,
 
     K, N = (<object> values).shape
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
@@ -1294,6 +1358,10 @@ def backfill_2d_inplace_object(ndarray[object, ndim=2] values,
 
     K, N = (<object> values).shape
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
@@ -1324,6 +1392,10 @@ def backfill_2d_inplace_int32(ndarray[int32_t, ndim=2] values,
 
     K, N = (<object> values).shape
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
@@ -1354,6 +1426,10 @@ def backfill_2d_inplace_int64(ndarray[int64_t, ndim=2] values,
 
     K, N = (<object> values).shape
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
@@ -1384,6 +1460,10 @@ def backfill_2d_inplace_bool(ndarray[uint8_t, ndim=2] values,
 
     K, N = (<object> values).shape
 
+    # GH 2778
+    if N == 0:
+        return
+
     if limit is None:
         lim = N
     else:
diff --git a/pandas/tests/test_frame.py b/pandas/tests/test_frame.py
index 09747ba3f09f0..039643c6889e2 100644
--- a/pandas/tests/test_frame.py
+++ b/pandas/tests/test_frame.py
@@ -4670,6 +4670,12 @@ def test_fillna(self):
         self.assertRaises(ValueError, self.tsframe.fillna)
         self.assertRaises(ValueError, self.tsframe.fillna, 5, method='ffill')
 
+        # empty frame (GH #2778)
+        df = DataFrame(columns=['x'])
+        for m in ['pad','backfill']:
+            df.x.fillna(method=m,inplace=1)
+            df.x.fillna(method=m)
+
     def test_ffill(self):
         self.tsframe['A'][:5] = nan
         self.tsframe['A'][-5:] = nan