diff --git a/Makefile b/Makefile
index ff93caec1a..e263b54b8c 100644
--- a/Makefile
+++ b/Makefile
@@ -448,6 +448,14 @@ include boot/common.mk
 include linux/linux.mk
 include fs/common.mk
 
+# If using a br2-external tree, the BR2_EXTERNAL_$(NAME)_PATH variable
+# is also present in the .config file. Since .config is included after
+# we defined BR2_EXTERNAL_$(NAME)_PATH in the Makefile, the value in
+# that variable is quoted. We just include the generated Makefile fragment
+# .br2-external.mk a third time, which will set that variable to the
+# un-quoted value.
+include $(BR2_EXTERNAL_FILE)
+
 # Nothing to include if no BR2_EXTERNAL tree in use
 include $(BR2_EXTERNAL_MK)
 
@@ -763,7 +771,6 @@ COMMON_CONFIG_ENV = \
 	KCONFIG_AUTOHEADER=$(BUILD_DIR)/buildroot-config/autoconf.h \
 	KCONFIG_TRISTATE=$(BUILD_DIR)/buildroot-config/tristate.config \
 	BR2_CONFIG=$(BR2_CONFIG) \
-	BR2_EXTERNAL=$(BR2_EXTERNAL) \
 	HOST_GCC_VERSION="$(HOSTCC_VERSION)" \
 	BUILD_DIR=$(BUILD_DIR) \
 	SKIP_LEGACY=
@@ -842,7 +849,7 @@ define percent_defconfig
 	@$$(COMMON_CONFIG_ENV) BR2_DEFCONFIG=$(1)/configs/$$@ \
 		$$< --defconfig=$(1)/configs/$$@ $$(CONFIG_CONFIG_IN)
 endef
-$(eval $(foreach d,$(TOPDIR) $(BR2_EXTERNAL),$(call percent_defconfig,$(d))$(sep)))
+$(eval $(foreach d,$(TOPDIR) $(if $(BR2_EXTERNAL_NAME),$(BR2_EXTERNAL_$(BR2_EXTERNAL_NAME)_PATH)),$(call percent_defconfig,$(d))$(sep)))
 
 savedefconfig: $(BUILD_DIR)/buildroot-config/conf prepare-kconfig
 	@$(COMMON_CONFIG_ENV) $< \
@@ -969,11 +976,13 @@ list-defconfigs:
 	@echo 'Built-in configs:'
 	@$(foreach b, $(sort $(notdir $(wildcard $(TOPDIR)/configs/*_defconfig))), \
 	  printf "  %-35s - Build for %s\\n" $(b) $(b:_defconfig=);)
-ifneq ($(wildcard $(BR2_EXTERNAL)/configs/*_defconfig),)
+ifneq ($(BR2_EXTERNAL_NAME),)
+ifneq ($(wildcard $(BR2_EXTERNAL_$(BR2_EXTERNAL_NAME)_PATH)/configs/*_defconfig),)
 	@echo
 	@echo 'User-provided configs:'
-	@$(foreach b, $(sort $(notdir $(wildcard $(BR2_EXTERNAL)/configs/*_defconfig))), \
+	@$(foreach b, $(sort $(notdir $(wildcard $(BR2_EXTERNAL_$(BR2_EXTERNAL_NAME)_PATH)/configs/*_defconfig))), \
 	  printf "  %-35s - Build for %s\\n" $(b) $(b:_defconfig=);)
+endif
 endif
 	@echo
 
@@ -994,7 +1003,7 @@ print-version:
 	@echo $(BR2_VERSION_FULL)
 
 include docs/manual/manual.mk
--include $(BR2_EXTERNAL)/docs/*/*.mk
+-include $(if $(BR2_EXTERNAL_NAME),$(BR2_EXTERNAL_$(BR2_EXTERNAL_NAME)_PATH)/docs/*/*.mk)
 
 .PHONY: $(noconfig_targets)
 
diff --git a/boot/barebox/barebox-aux/Config.in b/boot/barebox/barebox-aux/Config.in
index 315e1a3fca..ec3b97cb8a 100644
--- a/boot/barebox/barebox-aux/Config.in
+++ b/boot/barebox/barebox-aux/Config.in
@@ -67,8 +67,7 @@ config BR2_TARGET_BAREBOX_AUX_CUSTOM_EMBEDDED_ENV_PATH
 	  invalid. This option sets the barebox Kconfig option
 	  CONFIG_DEFAULT_ENVIRONMENT_PATH to the specified path. This
 	  way it is possible to use Buildroot variables like
-	  BR2_EXTERNAL, TOPDIR etc. to refer to the custom
-	  environment.
+	  TOPDIR etc. to refer to the custom environment.
 
 	  Depending on your setup, the custom embedded environment
 	  will probably be based on either the content of the
diff --git a/boot/barebox/barebox/Config.in b/boot/barebox/barebox/Config.in
index f5e3bae8d5..3d8d014561 100644
--- a/boot/barebox/barebox/Config.in
+++ b/boot/barebox/barebox/Config.in
@@ -73,8 +73,7 @@ config BR2_TARGET_BAREBOX_CUSTOM_EMBEDDED_ENV_PATH
 	  invalid. This option sets the barebox Kconfig option
 	  CONFIG_DEFAULT_ENVIRONMENT_PATH to the specified path. This
 	  way it is possible to use Buildroot variables like
-	  BR2_EXTERNAL, TOPDIR etc. to refer to the custom
-	  environment.
+	  TOPDIR etc. to refer to the custom environment.
 
 	  Depending on your setup, the custom embedded environment
 	  will probably be based on either the content of the
diff --git a/package/Makefile.in b/package/Makefile.in
index 98e30b4921..5d591e9a43 100644
--- a/package/Makefile.in
+++ b/package/Makefile.in
@@ -311,8 +311,7 @@ HOST_CONFIGURE_OPTS = \
 EXTRA_ENV = \
 	PATH=$(BR_PATH) \
 	BR2_DL_DIR=$(BR2_DL_DIR) \
-	BUILD_DIR=$(BUILD_DIR) \
-	BR2_EXTERNAL=$(BR2_EXTERNAL)
+	BUILD_DIR=$(BUILD_DIR)
 
 ################################################################################
 # settings we need to pass to configure
diff --git a/package/pkg-generic.mk b/package/pkg-generic.mk
index 12ae86f08e..a13e34f7de 100644
--- a/package/pkg-generic.mk
+++ b/package/pkg-generic.mk
@@ -767,9 +767,9 @@ $$($(2)_TARGET_DIRCLEAN):		PKG=$(2)
 # kernel case, the bootloaders case, and the normal packages case.
 ifeq ($(1),linux)
 $(2)_KCONFIG_VAR = BR2_LINUX_KERNEL
-else ifneq ($$(filter boot/% $(BR2_EXTERNAL)/boot/%,$(pkgdir)),)
+else ifneq ($$(filter boot/% $$(if $$(BR2_EXTERNAL_NAME),$$(BR2_EXTERNAL_$$(BR2_EXTERNAL_NAME)_PATH)/boot/%),$(pkgdir)),)
 $(2)_KCONFIG_VAR = BR2_TARGET_$(2)
-else ifneq ($$(filter toolchain/% $(BR2_EXTERNAL)/toolchain/%,$(pkgdir)),)
+else ifneq ($$(filter toolchain/% $$(if $$(BR2_EXTERNAL_NAME),$$(BR2_EXTERNAL_$$(BR2_EXTERNAL_NAME)_PATH)/toolchain/%),$(pkgdir)),)
 $(2)_KCONFIG_VAR = BR2_$(2)
 else
 $(2)_KCONFIG_VAR = BR2_PACKAGE_$(2)
diff --git a/support/scripts/br2-external b/support/scripts/br2-external
index 1a0c743462..21d7351637 100755
--- a/support/scripts/br2-external
+++ b/support/scripts/br2-external
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 set -e
 
-# The location of the br2-external tree, once validated.
+# The name and location of the br2-external tree, once validated.
+declare BR2_NAME
 declare BR2_EXT
 
 main() {
@@ -55,6 +56,7 @@ main() {
 #
 do_validate() {
     local br2_ext="${1}"
+    local br2_name n
 
     # No br2-external tree is valid
     if [ -z "${br2_ext}" ]; then
@@ -67,6 +69,20 @@ do_validate() {
     if [ ! -r "${br2_ext}" -o ! -x "${br2_ext}" ]; then
         error "'%s': permission denied\n" "${br2_ext}"
     fi
+    if [ ! -f "${br2_ext}/external.desc" ]; then
+        error "'%s': does not have a name (in 'external.desc')\n" "${br2_ext}"
+    fi
+    br2_name="$(sed -r -e '/^name: +(.*)$/!d; s//\1/' "${br2_ext}/external.desc")"
+    if [ -z "${br2_name}" ]; then
+        error "'%s/external.desc': does not define the name\n" "${br2_ext}"
+    fi
+    # Only ASCII chars in [A-Za-z0-9_] are permitted
+    n="$(sed -r -e 's/[A-Za-z0-9_]//g' <<<"${br2_name}" )"
+    if [ -n "${n}" ]; then
+        # Escape '$' so that it gets printed
+        error "'%s': name '%s' contains invalid chars: '%s'\n" \
+            "${br2_ext}" "${br2_name//\$/\$\$}" "${n//\$/\$\$}"
+    fi
     if [ ! -f "${br2_ext}/external.mk" ]; then
         error "'%s/external.mk': no such file or directory\n" "${br2_ext}"
     fi
@@ -74,27 +90,29 @@ do_validate() {
         error "'%s/Config.in': no such file or directory\n" "${br2_ext}"
     fi
 
+    BR2_NAME="${br2_name}"
     BR2_EXT="$(cd "${br2_ext}"; pwd -P )"
 }
 
 # Generate the .mk snippet that defines makefile variables
 # for the br2-external tree
 do_mk() {
-    local BR2_EXT="${1}"
-
     printf '#\n# Automatically generated file; DO NOT EDIT.\n#\n'
     printf '\n'
 
     printf 'BR2_EXTERNAL ?= %s\n' "${BR2_EXT}"
+    printf 'BR2_EXTERNAL_NAME = \n'
     printf 'BR2_EXTERNAL_MK =\n'
     printf '\n'
 
-    if [ -z "${BR2_EXT}" ]; then
+    if [ -z "${BR2_NAME}" ]; then
         printf '# No br2-external tree defined.\n'
         return
     fi
 
+    printf 'BR2_EXTERNAL_NAME = %s\n' "${BR2_NAME}"
     printf 'BR2_EXTERNAL_MK = %s/external.mk\n' "${BR2_EXT}"
+    printf 'BR2_EXTERNAL_%s_PATH = %s\n' "${BR2_NAME}" "${BR2_EXT}"
 }
 
 # Generate the kconfig snippet for the br2-external tree.
@@ -102,18 +120,20 @@ do_kconfig() {
     printf '#\n# Automatically generated file; DO NOT EDIT.\n#\n'
     printf '\n'
 
-    if [ -z "${BR2_EXT}" ]; then
+    if [ -z "${BR2_NAME}" ]; then
         printf '# No br2-external tree defined.\n'
         return
     fi
 
-    printf 'config BR2_EXTERNAL\n'
+    printf 'menu "User-provided options"\n'
+    printf '\n'
+    printf 'comment "%s (in %s)"\n' "${BR2_NAME}" "${BR2_EXT}"
+    printf '\n'
+    printf 'config BR2_EXTERNAL_%s_PATH\n' "${BR2_NAME}"
     printf '\tstring\n'
     printf '\tdefault "%s"\n' "${BR2_EXT}"
     printf '\n'
-    printf 'menu "User-provided options"\n'
-    printf '\n'
-    printf 'source "%s/Config.in"\n' "${BR2_EXT}"
+    printf 'source "$BR2_EXTERNAL_%s_PATH/Config.in"\n' "${BR2_NAME}"
     printf '\n'
     printf "endmenu # User-provided options\n"
 }