diff --git a/drivers/md/md.c b/drivers/md/md.c
index 973aa8459e98..c601c4be77c7 100644
--- a/drivers/md/md.c
+++ b/drivers/md/md.c
@@ -6751,7 +6751,7 @@ struct md_thread *md_register_thread(void (*run) (struct mddev *), struct mddev
 	thread->tsk = kthread_run(md_thread, thread,
 				  "%s_%s",
 				  mdname(thread->mddev),
-				  name ?: mddev->pers->name);
+				  name);
 	if (IS_ERR(thread->tsk)) {
 		kfree(thread);
 		return NULL;
diff --git a/drivers/md/multipath.c b/drivers/md/multipath.c
index 9339e67fcc79..61a1833ebaf3 100644
--- a/drivers/md/multipath.c
+++ b/drivers/md/multipath.c
@@ -474,7 +474,8 @@ static int multipath_run (struct mddev *mddev)
 	}
 
 	{
-		mddev->thread = md_register_thread(multipathd, mddev, NULL);
+		mddev->thread = md_register_thread(multipathd, mddev,
+						   "multipath");
 		if (!mddev->thread) {
 			printk(KERN_ERR "multipath: couldn't allocate thread"
 				" for %s\n", mdname(mddev));
diff --git a/drivers/md/raid1.c b/drivers/md/raid1.c
index a9c7981ddd24..39b2a8aa3b23 100644
--- a/drivers/md/raid1.c
+++ b/drivers/md/raid1.c
@@ -2621,7 +2621,7 @@ static struct r1conf *setup_conf(struct mddev *mddev)
 		goto abort;
 	}
 	err = -ENOMEM;
-	conf->thread = md_register_thread(raid1d, mddev, NULL);
+	conf->thread = md_register_thread(raid1d, mddev, "raid1");
 	if (!conf->thread) {
 		printk(KERN_ERR
 		       "md/raid1:%s: couldn't allocate thread\n",
diff --git a/drivers/md/raid10.c b/drivers/md/raid10.c
index ae73e29298b2..edc1088a1320 100644
--- a/drivers/md/raid10.c
+++ b/drivers/md/raid10.c
@@ -3427,7 +3427,7 @@ static struct r10conf *setup_conf(struct mddev *mddev)
 	spin_lock_init(&conf->resync_lock);
 	init_waitqueue_head(&conf->wait_barrier);
 
-	conf->thread = md_register_thread(raid10d, mddev, NULL);
+	conf->thread = md_register_thread(raid10d, mddev, "raid10");
 	if (!conf->thread)
 		goto out;
 
diff --git a/drivers/md/raid5.c b/drivers/md/raid5.c
index 62b6b3a83abf..a5135e595866 100644
--- a/drivers/md/raid5.c
+++ b/drivers/md/raid5.c
@@ -4840,6 +4840,7 @@ static struct r5conf *setup_conf(struct mddev *mddev)
 	int raid_disk, memory, max_disks;
 	struct md_rdev *rdev;
 	struct disk_info *disk;
+	char pers_name[6];
 
 	if (mddev->new_level != 5
 	    && mddev->new_level != 4
@@ -4963,7 +4964,8 @@ static struct r5conf *setup_conf(struct mddev *mddev)
 		printk(KERN_INFO "md/raid:%s: allocated %dkB\n",
 		       mdname(mddev), memory);
 
-	conf->thread = md_register_thread(raid5d, mddev, NULL);
+	sprintf(pers_name, "raid%d", mddev->new_level);
+	conf->thread = md_register_thread(raid5d, mddev, pers_name);
 	if (!conf->thread) {
 		printk(KERN_ERR
 		       "md/raid:%s: couldn't allocate thread.\n",