diff --git a/api/src/com/cloud/storage/VolumeApiService.java b/api/src/com/cloud/storage/VolumeApiService.java
index 5487a4bf9b2..a9e02ecce6e 100644
--- a/api/src/com/cloud/storage/VolumeApiService.java
+++ b/api/src/com/cloud/storage/VolumeApiService.java
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ public interface VolumeApiService {
 
     Snapshot takeSnapshot(Long volumeId, Long policyId, Long snapshotId, Account account, boolean quiescevm) throws ResourceAllocationException;
 
-    Snapshot allocSnapshot(Long volumeId, Long policyId) throws ResourceAllocationException;
+    Snapshot allocSnapshot(Long volumeId, Long policyId, String snapshotName) throws ResourceAllocationException;
 
     Volume updateVolume(long volumeId, String path, String state, Long storageId, Boolean displayVolume, String customId, long owner, String chainInfo);
 
diff --git a/api/src/com/cloud/storage/snapshot/SnapshotApiService.java b/api/src/com/cloud/storage/snapshot/SnapshotApiService.java
index 0300980edb6..a86ef37b452 100644
--- a/api/src/com/cloud/storage/snapshot/SnapshotApiService.java
+++ b/api/src/com/cloud/storage/snapshot/SnapshotApiService.java
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ public interface SnapshotApiService {
 
     boolean deleteSnapshotPolicies(DeleteSnapshotPoliciesCmd cmd);
 
-    Snapshot allocSnapshot(Long volumeId, Long policyId) throws ResourceAllocationException;
+    Snapshot allocSnapshot(Long volumeId, Long policyId, String snapshotName) throws ResourceAllocationException;
 
     /**
      * Create a snapshot of a volume
diff --git a/api/src/org/apache/cloudstack/api/command/user/snapshot/CreateSnapshotCmd.java b/api/src/org/apache/cloudstack/api/command/user/snapshot/CreateSnapshotCmd.java
index df7fe8296bc..473730597bb 100644
--- a/api/src/org/apache/cloudstack/api/command/user/snapshot/CreateSnapshotCmd.java
+++ b/api/src/org/apache/cloudstack/api/command/user/snapshot/CreateSnapshotCmd.java
@@ -74,6 +74,9 @@ public class CreateSnapshotCmd extends BaseAsyncCreateCmd {
     @Parameter(name = ApiConstants.SNAPSHOT_QUIESCEVM, type = CommandType.BOOLEAN, required = false, description = "quiesce vm if true")
     private Boolean quiescevm;
 
+    @Parameter(name = ApiConstants.NAME, type = CommandType.STRING, description = "the name of the snapshot")
+    private String snapshotName;
+
     private String syncObjectType = BaseAsyncCmd.snapshotHostSyncObject;
 
     // ///////////////////////////////////////////////////
@@ -100,6 +103,10 @@ public class CreateSnapshotCmd extends BaseAsyncCreateCmd {
         return volumeId;
     }
 
+    public String getSnapshotName() {
+        return snapshotName;
+    }
+
     public Long getPolicyId() {
         if (policyId != null) {
             return policyId;
@@ -169,7 +176,7 @@ public class CreateSnapshotCmd extends BaseAsyncCreateCmd {
 
     @Override
     public void create() throws ResourceAllocationException {
-        Snapshot snapshot = _volumeService.allocSnapshot(getVolumeId(), getPolicyId());
+        Snapshot snapshot = _volumeService.allocSnapshot(getVolumeId(), getPolicyId(), getSnapshotName());
         if (snapshot != null) {
             setEntityId(snapshot.getId());
             setEntityUuid(snapshot.getUuid());
diff --git a/server/src/com/cloud/storage/VolumeApiServiceImpl.java b/server/src/com/cloud/storage/VolumeApiServiceImpl.java
index 4343c4b1376..9132f42921f 100644
--- a/server/src/com/cloud/storage/VolumeApiServiceImpl.java
+++ b/server/src/com/cloud/storage/VolumeApiServiceImpl.java
@@ -1929,7 +1929,7 @@ public class VolumeApiServiceImpl extends ManagerBase implements VolumeApiServic
 
     @Override
     @ActionEvent(eventType = EventTypes.EVENT_SNAPSHOT_CREATE, eventDescription = "allocating snapshot", create = true)
-    public Snapshot allocSnapshot(Long volumeId, Long policyId) throws ResourceAllocationException {
+    public Snapshot allocSnapshot(Long volumeId, Long policyId, String snapshotName) throws ResourceAllocationException {
         Account caller = CallContext.current().getCallingAccount();
 
         VolumeInfo volume = volFactory.getVolume(volumeId);
@@ -1972,7 +1972,7 @@ public class VolumeApiServiceImpl extends ManagerBase implements VolumeApiServic
             throw new InvalidParameterValueException("VolumeId: " + volumeId + " please attach this volume to a VM before create snapshot for it");
         }
 
-        return snapshotMgr.allocSnapshot(volumeId, policyId);
+        return snapshotMgr.allocSnapshot(volumeId, policyId, snapshotName);
     }
 
     @Override
diff --git a/server/src/com/cloud/storage/snapshot/SnapshotManagerImpl.java b/server/src/com/cloud/storage/snapshot/SnapshotManagerImpl.java
index 04a04891689..b224beb0902 100644
--- a/server/src/com/cloud/storage/snapshot/SnapshotManagerImpl.java
+++ b/server/src/com/cloud/storage/snapshot/SnapshotManagerImpl.java
@@ -1092,7 +1092,7 @@ public class SnapshotManagerImpl extends ManagerBase implements SnapshotManager,
     }
 
     @Override
-    public Snapshot allocSnapshot(Long volumeId, Long policyId) throws ResourceAllocationException {
+    public Snapshot allocSnapshot(Long volumeId, Long policyId, String snapshotName) throws ResourceAllocationException {
         Account caller = CallContext.current().getCallingAccount();
         VolumeInfo volume = volFactory.getVolume(volumeId);
         supportedByHypervisor(volume);
@@ -1125,7 +1125,8 @@ public class SnapshotManagerImpl extends ManagerBase implements SnapshotManager,
         if (vmInstance != null) {
             vmDisplayName = vmInstance.getHostName();
         }
-        String snapshotName = vmDisplayName + "_" + volume.getName() + "_" + timeString;
+        if (snapshotName == null)
+            snapshotName = vmDisplayName + "_" + volume.getName() + "_" + timeString;
 
         HypervisorType hypervisorType = HypervisorType.None;
         StoragePoolVO storagePool = _storagePoolDao.findById(volume.getDataStore().getId());
diff --git a/ui/scripts/storage.js b/ui/scripts/storage.js
index 31562660f90..57f8640ee0b 100644
--- a/ui/scripts/storage.js
+++ b/ui/scripts/storage.js
@@ -597,12 +597,25 @@
                                                         else
                                                 	return true;
                                             }
+                                        },
+                                        name: {
+                                            label: 'label.name',
                                         }
                                     }
                                 },
                                 action: function(args) {
+                                    var data = {
+                                        volumeId: args.context.volumes[0].id,
+                                        quiescevm: (args.data.quiescevm == 'on' ? true: false)
+                                    };
+                                    if (args.data.name != null && args.data.name.length > 0) {
+                                        $.extend(data, {
+                                            name: args.data.name
+                                        });
+                                    }
                                     $.ajax({
-                                        url: createURL("createSnapshot&volumeid=" + args.context.volumes[0].id + "&quiescevm=" + (args.data.quiescevm=='on')),
+                                        url: createURL("createSnapshot"),
+                                        data: data,
                                         dataType: "json",
                                         async: true,
                                         success: function(json) {