diff --git a/conn.go b/conn.go
index 78f323b1..023b9d97 100644
--- a/conn.go
+++ b/conn.go
@@ -287,6 +287,7 @@ func (c *Conn) connect(config ConnConfig, network, address string, tlsConfig *tl
 		Int4OID:             &pgtype.Int4{},
 		Int8ArrayOID:        &pgtype.Int8Array{},
 		Int8OID:             &pgtype.Int8{},
+		NameOID:             &pgtype.Name{},
 		OIDOID:              &pgtype.OID{},
 		TextArrayOID:        &pgtype.TextArray{},
 		TextOID:             &pgtype.Text{},
diff --git a/pgtype/name.go b/pgtype/name.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..3ff81f12
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pgtype/name.go
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+package pgtype
+
+import (
+	"io"
+)
+
+// Name is a type used for PostgreSQL's special 63-byte
+// name data type, used for identifiers like table names.
+// The pg_class.relname column is a good example of where the
+// name data type is used.
+//
+// Note that the underlying Go data type of pgx.Name is string,
+// so there is no way to enforce the 63-byte length. Inputting
+// a longer name into PostgreSQL will result in silent truncation
+// to 63 bytes.
+//
+// Also, if you have custom-compiled PostgreSQL and set
+// NAMEDATALEN to a different value, obviously that number of
+// bytes applies, rather than the default 63.
+type Name Text
+
+func (dst *Name) ConvertFrom(src interface{}) error {
+	return (*Text)(dst).ConvertFrom(src)
+}
+
+func (src *Name) AssignTo(dst interface{}) error {
+	return (*Text)(src).AssignTo(dst)
+}
+
+func (dst *Name) DecodeText(r io.Reader) error {
+	return (*Text)(dst).DecodeText(r)
+}
+
+func (dst *Name) DecodeBinary(r io.Reader) error {
+	return (*Text)(dst).DecodeBinary(r)
+}
+
+func (src Name) EncodeText(w io.Writer) error {
+	return (Text)(src).EncodeText(w)
+}
+
+func (src Name) EncodeBinary(w io.Writer) error {
+	return (Text)(src).EncodeBinary(w)
+}
diff --git a/pgtype/name_test.go b/pgtype/name_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c5f7de17
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pgtype/name_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,97 @@
+package pgtype_test
+
+import (
+	"reflect"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/jackc/pgx/pgtype"
+)
+
+func TestNameTranscode(t *testing.T) {
+	testSuccessfulTranscode(t, "name", []interface{}{
+		pgtype.Name{String: "", Status: pgtype.Present},
+		pgtype.Name{String: "foo", Status: pgtype.Present},
+		pgtype.Name{Status: pgtype.Null},
+	})
+}
+
+func TestNameConvertFrom(t *testing.T) {
+	successfulTests := []struct {
+		source interface{}
+		result pgtype.Name
+	}{
+		{source: "foo", result: pgtype.Name{String: "foo", Status: pgtype.Present}},
+		{source: _string("bar"), result: pgtype.Name{String: "bar", Status: pgtype.Present}},
+		{source: (*string)(nil), result: pgtype.Name{Status: pgtype.Null}},
+	}
+
+	for i, tt := range successfulTests {
+		var d pgtype.Name
+		err := d.ConvertFrom(tt.source)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("%d: %v", i, err)
+		}
+
+		if d != tt.result {
+			t.Errorf("%d: expected %v to convert to %v, but it was %v", i, tt.source, tt.result, d)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+func TestNameAssignTo(t *testing.T) {
+	var s string
+	var ps *string
+
+	simpleTests := []struct {
+		src      pgtype.Name
+		dst      interface{}
+		expected interface{}
+	}{
+		{src: pgtype.Name{String: "foo", Status: pgtype.Present}, dst: &s, expected: "foo"},
+		{src: pgtype.Name{Status: pgtype.Null}, dst: &ps, expected: ((*string)(nil))},
+	}
+
+	for i, tt := range simpleTests {
+		err := tt.src.AssignTo(tt.dst)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("%d: %v", i, err)
+		}
+
+		if dst := reflect.ValueOf(tt.dst).Elem().Interface(); dst != tt.expected {
+			t.Errorf("%d: expected %v to assign %v, but result was %v", i, tt.src, tt.expected, dst)
+		}
+	}
+
+	pointerAllocTests := []struct {
+		src      pgtype.Name
+		dst      interface{}
+		expected interface{}
+	}{
+		{src: pgtype.Name{String: "foo", Status: pgtype.Present}, dst: &ps, expected: "foo"},
+	}
+
+	for i, tt := range pointerAllocTests {
+		err := tt.src.AssignTo(tt.dst)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("%d: %v", i, err)
+		}
+
+		if dst := reflect.ValueOf(tt.dst).Elem().Elem().Interface(); dst != tt.expected {
+			t.Errorf("%d: expected %v to assign %v, but result was %v", i, tt.src, tt.expected, dst)
+		}
+	}
+
+	errorTests := []struct {
+		src pgtype.Name
+		dst interface{}
+	}{
+		{src: pgtype.Name{Status: pgtype.Null}, dst: &s},
+	}
+
+	for i, tt := range errorTests {
+		err := tt.src.AssignTo(tt.dst)
+		if err == nil {
+			t.Errorf("%d: expected error but none was returned (%v -> %v)", i, tt.src, tt.dst)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/values.go b/values.go
index 59d6f3c4..8e7ef4ac 100644
--- a/values.go
+++ b/values.go
@@ -371,57 +371,6 @@ func (n NullAclItem) Encode(w *WriteBuf, oid OID) error {
 	return encodeString(w, oid, string(n.AclItem))
 }
 
-// Name is a type used for PostgreSQL's special 63-byte
-// name data type, used for identifiers like table names.
-// The pg_class.relname column is a good example of where the
-// name data type is used.
-//
-// Note that the underlying Go data type of pgx.Name is string,
-// so there is no way to enforce the 63-byte length. Inputting
-// a longer name into PostgreSQL will result in silent truncation
-// to 63 bytes.
-//
-// Also, if you have custom-compiled PostgreSQL and set
-// NAMEDATALEN to a different value, obviously that number of
-// bytes applies, rather than the default 63.
-type Name string
-
-// NullName represents a pgx.Name that may be null. NullName implements the
-// Scanner and Encoder interfaces so it may be used both as an argument to
-// Query[Row] and a destination for Scan for prepared and unprepared queries.
-//
-// If Valid is false then the value is NULL.
-type NullName struct {
-	Name  Name
-	Valid bool // Valid is true if Name is not NULL
-}
-
-func (n *NullName) Scan(vr *ValueReader) error {
-	if vr.Type().DataType != NameOID {
-		return SerializationError(fmt.Sprintf("NullName.Scan cannot decode OID %d", vr.Type().DataType))
-	}
-
-	if vr.Len() == -1 {
-		n.Name, n.Valid = "", false
-		return nil
-	}
-
-	n.Valid = true
-	n.Name = Name(decodeText(vr))
-	return vr.Err()
-}
-
-func (n NullName) FormatCode() int16 { return TextFormatCode }
-
-func (n NullName) Encode(w *WriteBuf, oid OID) error {
-	if !n.Valid {
-		w.WriteInt32(-1)
-		return nil
-	}
-
-	return encodeString(w, oid, string(n.Name))
-}
-
 // The pgx.Char type is for PostgreSQL's special 8-bit-only
 // "char" type more akin to the C language's char type, or Go's byte type.
 // (Note that the name in PostgreSQL itself is "char", in double-quotes,
@@ -1002,10 +951,6 @@ func Encode(wbuf *WriteBuf, oid OID, arg interface{}) error {
 		// The aclitem data type goes over the wire using the same format as string,
 		// so just cast to string and use encodeString
 		return encodeString(wbuf, oid, string(arg))
-	case Name:
-		// The name data type goes over the wire using the same format as string,
-		// so just cast to string and use encodeString
-		return encodeString(wbuf, oid, string(arg))
 	default:
 		if strippedArg, ok := stripNamedType(&refVal); ok {
 			return Encode(wbuf, oid, strippedArg)
@@ -1078,9 +1023,6 @@ func Decode(vr *ValueReader, d interface{}) error {
 	case *AclItem:
 		// aclitem goes over the wire just like text
 		*v = AclItem(decodeText(vr))
-	case *Name:
-		// name goes over the wire just like text
-		*v = Name(decodeText(vr))
 	case *Tid:
 		*v = decodeTid(vr)
 	case *string:
diff --git a/values_test.go b/values_test.go
index 65811959..0e51effe 100644
--- a/values_test.go
+++ b/values_test.go
@@ -570,7 +570,6 @@ func TestNullX(t *testing.T) {
 		i32 pgx.NullInt32
 		c   pgx.NullChar
 		a   pgx.NullAclItem
-		n   pgx.NullName
 		tid pgx.NullTid
 		i64 pgx.NullInt64
 		f32 pgx.NullFloat32
@@ -596,8 +595,6 @@ func TestNullX(t *testing.T) {
 		{"select $1::\"char\"", []interface{}{pgx.NullChar{Char: 1, Valid: true}}, []interface{}{&actual.c}, allTypes{c: pgx.NullChar{Char: 1, Valid: true}}},
 		{"select $1::\"char\"", []interface{}{pgx.NullChar{Char: 1, Valid: false}}, []interface{}{&actual.c}, allTypes{c: pgx.NullChar{Char: 0, Valid: false}}},
 		{"select $1::\"char\"", []interface{}{pgx.NullChar{Char: 255, Valid: true}}, []interface{}{&actual.c}, allTypes{c: pgx.NullChar{Char: 255, Valid: true}}},
-		{"select $1::name", []interface{}{pgx.NullName{Name: "foo", Valid: true}}, []interface{}{&actual.n}, allTypes{n: pgx.NullName{Name: "foo", Valid: true}}},
-		{"select $1::name", []interface{}{pgx.NullName{Name: "foo", Valid: false}}, []interface{}{&actual.n}, allTypes{n: pgx.NullName{Name: "", Valid: false}}},
 		{"select $1::aclitem", []interface{}{pgx.NullAclItem{AclItem: "postgres=arwdDxt/postgres", Valid: true}}, []interface{}{&actual.a}, allTypes{a: pgx.NullAclItem{AclItem: "postgres=arwdDxt/postgres", Valid: true}}},
 		{"select $1::aclitem", []interface{}{pgx.NullAclItem{AclItem: "postgres=arwdDxt/postgres", Valid: false}}, []interface{}{&actual.a}, allTypes{a: pgx.NullAclItem{AclItem: "", Valid: false}}},
 		// A tricky (and valid) aclitem can still be used, especially with Go's useful backticks