diff --git a/library/init/lean/name.lean b/library/init/lean/name.lean
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4256cf439b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/library/init/lean/name.lean
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+/-
+Copyright (c) 2018 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
+Released under Apache 2.0 license as described in the file LICENSE.
+Author: Leonardo de Moura
+-/
+prelude
+import init.data.string.basic init.coe init.data.uint
+namespace lean
+
+inductive name
+| anonymous  : name
+| mk_string  : name → string → name
+| mk_numeral : name → nat → name
+
+instance : inhabited name :=
+⟨name.anonymous⟩
+
+def mk_str_name (p : name) (s : string) : name :=
+name.mk_string p s
+
+def mk_num_name (p : name) (v : nat) : name :=
+name.mk_numeral p v
+
+def mk_simple_name (s : string) : name :=
+mk_str_name name.anonymous s
+
+instance string_to_name : has_coe string name :=
+⟨mk_simple_name⟩
+
+namespace name
+/- TODO: mark `hash` as opaque, and mark that is replaced by
+   the code generator. Since it is marked as opaque, other modules
+   can't assume anything about it. -/
+def hash (n : name) : uint32 :=
+0
+
+def get_prefix : name → name
+| anonymous        := anonymous
+| (mk_string p s)  := p
+| (mk_numeral p s) := p
+
+def update_prefix : name → name → name
+| anonymous        new_p := anonymous
+| (mk_string p s)  new_p := mk_string new_p s
+| (mk_numeral p s) new_p := mk_numeral new_p s
+
+instance has_decidable_eq : decidable_eq name
+| anonymous          anonymous          := is_true rfl
+| (mk_string p₁ s₁)  (mk_string p₂ s₂)  :=
+  if h₁ : s₁ = s₂ then
+    match has_decidable_eq p₁ p₂ with
+    | is_true h₂  := is_true $ h₁ ▸ h₂ ▸ rfl
+    | is_false h₂ := is_false $ λ h, name.no_confusion h $ λ hp hs, absurd hp h₂
+    end
+  else is_false $ λ h, name.no_confusion h $ λ hp hs, absurd hs h₁
+| (mk_numeral p₁ n₁) (mk_numeral p₂ n₂) :=
+  if h₁ : n₁ = n₂ then
+    match has_decidable_eq p₁ p₂ with
+    | is_true h₂  := is_true $ h₁ ▸ h₂ ▸ rfl
+    | is_false h₂ := is_false $ λ h, name.no_confusion h $ λ hp hs, absurd hp h₂
+    end
+  else is_false $ λ h, name.no_confusion h $ λ hp hs, absurd hs h₁
+| anonymous          (mk_string _ _)    := is_false $ λ h, name.no_confusion h
+| anonymous          (mk_numeral _ _)   := is_false $ λ h, name.no_confusion h
+| (mk_string _ _)    anonymous          := is_false $ λ h, name.no_confusion h
+| (mk_string _ _)    (mk_numeral _ _)   := is_false $ λ h, name.no_confusion h
+| (mk_numeral _ _)   anonymous          := is_false $ λ h, name.no_confusion h
+| (mk_numeral _ _)   (mk_string _ _)    := is_false $ λ h, name.no_confusion h
+
+end name
+end lean