diff --git a/Foundation/Thread.swift b/Foundation/Thread.swift
index a86854ed3e..bd9556e624 100644
--- a/Foundation/Thread.swift
+++ b/Foundation/Thread.swift
@@ -251,9 +251,12 @@ open class Thread : NSObject {
     }
 
     open var name: String? {
-        didSet {
+        get {
+            return _name
+        }
+        set {
             if let thread = _thread {
-                _CFThreadSetName(thread, name ?? "" )
+                _CFThreadSetName(thread, newValue ?? "" )
             }
         }
     }
diff --git a/TestFoundation/TestThread.swift b/TestFoundation/TestThread.swift
index 05a0c30dee..96a45e0662 100644
--- a/TestFoundation/TestThread.swift
+++ b/TestFoundation/TestThread.swift
@@ -68,16 +68,17 @@ class TestThread : XCTestCase {
     
 #if NS_FOUNDATION_ALLOWS_TESTABLE_IMPORT
     func test_threadName() {
-        // No name is set initially
-        XCTAssertNil(Thread.current.name)
-
 #if os(Linux) // Linux sets the initial thread name to the process name.
+        XCTAssertEqual(Thread.current.name, "TestFoundation")
         XCTAssertEqual(Thread.current._name, "TestFoundation")
 #else
+        // No name is set initially
+        XCTAssertEqual(Thread.current.name, "")
         XCTAssertEqual(Thread.current._name, "")
 #endif
         Thread.current.name = "mainThread"
         XCTAssertEqual(Thread.mainThread.name, "mainThread")
+        XCTAssertEqual(Thread.mainThread._name, "mainThread")
 
         let condition = NSCondition()
         condition.lock()