diff --git a/fs/fs-writeback.c b/fs/fs-writeback.c
index 335607b8c5c0..76ac9c7d32ec 100644
--- a/fs/fs-writeback.c
+++ b/fs/fs-writeback.c
@@ -2063,7 +2063,7 @@ void wb_workfn(struct work_struct *work)
 						struct bdi_writeback, dwork);
 	long pages_written;
 
-	set_worker_desc("flush-%s", dev_name(wb->bdi->dev));
+	set_worker_desc("flush-%s", bdi_dev_name(wb->bdi));
 	current->flags |= PF_SWAPWRITE;
 
 	if (likely(!current_is_workqueue_rescuer() ||
diff --git a/include/linux/backing-dev.h b/include/linux/backing-dev.h
index 97967ce06de3..f88197c1ffc2 100644
--- a/include/linux/backing-dev.h
+++ b/include/linux/backing-dev.h
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@
 #include <linux/fs.h>
 #include <linux/sched.h>
 #include <linux/blkdev.h>
+#include <linux/device.h>
 #include <linux/writeback.h>
 #include <linux/blk-cgroup.h>
 #include <linux/backing-dev-defs.h>
@@ -504,4 +505,13 @@ static inline int bdi_rw_congested(struct backing_dev_info *bdi)
 				  (1 << WB_async_congested));
 }
 
+extern const char *bdi_unknown_name;
+
+static inline const char *bdi_dev_name(struct backing_dev_info *bdi)
+{
+	if (!bdi || !bdi->dev)
+		return bdi_unknown_name;
+	return dev_name(bdi->dev);
+}
+
 #endif	/* _LINUX_BACKING_DEV_H */
diff --git a/include/trace/events/writeback.h b/include/trace/events/writeback.h
index ef50be4e5e6c..d94def25e4dc 100644
--- a/include/trace/events/writeback.h
+++ b/include/trace/events/writeback.h
@@ -67,8 +67,8 @@ DECLARE_EVENT_CLASS(writeback_page_template,
 
 	TP_fast_assign(
 		strscpy_pad(__entry->name,
-			    mapping ? dev_name(inode_to_bdi(mapping->host)->dev) : "(unknown)",
-			    32);
+			    bdi_dev_name(mapping ? inode_to_bdi(mapping->host) :
+					 NULL), 32);
 		__entry->ino = mapping ? mapping->host->i_ino : 0;
 		__entry->index = page->index;
 	),
@@ -111,8 +111,7 @@ DECLARE_EVENT_CLASS(writeback_dirty_inode_template,
 		struct backing_dev_info *bdi = inode_to_bdi(inode);
 
 		/* may be called for files on pseudo FSes w/ unregistered bdi */
-		strscpy_pad(__entry->name,
-			    bdi->dev ? dev_name(bdi->dev) : "(unknown)", 32);
+		strscpy_pad(__entry->name, bdi_dev_name(bdi), 32);
 		__entry->ino		= inode->i_ino;
 		__entry->state		= inode->i_state;
 		__entry->flags		= flags;
@@ -193,7 +192,7 @@ TRACE_EVENT(inode_foreign_history,
 	),
 
 	TP_fast_assign(
-		strncpy(__entry->name, dev_name(inode_to_bdi(inode)->dev), 32);
+		strncpy(__entry->name, bdi_dev_name(inode_to_bdi(inode)), 32);
 		__entry->ino		= inode->i_ino;
 		__entry->cgroup_ino	= __trace_wbc_assign_cgroup(wbc);
 		__entry->history	= history;
@@ -222,7 +221,7 @@ TRACE_EVENT(inode_switch_wbs,
 	),
 
 	TP_fast_assign(
-		strncpy(__entry->name,	dev_name(old_wb->bdi->dev), 32);
+		strncpy(__entry->name,	bdi_dev_name(old_wb->bdi), 32);
 		__entry->ino		= inode->i_ino;
 		__entry->old_cgroup_ino	= __trace_wb_assign_cgroup(old_wb);
 		__entry->new_cgroup_ino	= __trace_wb_assign_cgroup(new_wb);
@@ -255,7 +254,7 @@ TRACE_EVENT(track_foreign_dirty,
 		struct address_space *mapping = page_mapping(page);
 		struct inode *inode = mapping ? mapping->host : NULL;
 
-		strncpy(__entry->name,	dev_name(wb->bdi->dev), 32);
+		strncpy(__entry->name,	bdi_dev_name(wb->bdi), 32);
 		__entry->bdi_id		= wb->bdi->id;
 		__entry->ino		= inode ? inode->i_ino : 0;
 		__entry->memcg_id	= wb->memcg_css->id;
@@ -288,7 +287,7 @@ TRACE_EVENT(flush_foreign,
 	),
 
 	TP_fast_assign(
-		strncpy(__entry->name,	dev_name(wb->bdi->dev), 32);
+		strncpy(__entry->name,	bdi_dev_name(wb->bdi), 32);
 		__entry->cgroup_ino	= __trace_wb_assign_cgroup(wb);
 		__entry->frn_bdi_id	= frn_bdi_id;
 		__entry->frn_memcg_id	= frn_memcg_id;
@@ -318,7 +317,7 @@ DECLARE_EVENT_CLASS(writeback_write_inode_template,
 
 	TP_fast_assign(
 		strscpy_pad(__entry->name,
-			    dev_name(inode_to_bdi(inode)->dev), 32);
+			    bdi_dev_name(inode_to_bdi(inode)), 32);
 		__entry->ino		= inode->i_ino;
 		__entry->sync_mode	= wbc->sync_mode;
 		__entry->cgroup_ino	= __trace_wbc_assign_cgroup(wbc);
@@ -361,9 +360,7 @@ DECLARE_EVENT_CLASS(writeback_work_class,
 		__field(ino_t, cgroup_ino)
 	),
 	TP_fast_assign(
-		strscpy_pad(__entry->name,
-			    wb->bdi->dev ? dev_name(wb->bdi->dev) :
-			    "(unknown)", 32);
+		strscpy_pad(__entry->name, bdi_dev_name(wb->bdi), 32);
 		__entry->nr_pages = work->nr_pages;
 		__entry->sb_dev = work->sb ? work->sb->s_dev : 0;
 		__entry->sync_mode = work->sync_mode;
@@ -416,7 +413,7 @@ DECLARE_EVENT_CLASS(writeback_class,
 		__field(ino_t, cgroup_ino)
 	),
 	TP_fast_assign(
-		strscpy_pad(__entry->name, dev_name(wb->bdi->dev), 32);
+		strscpy_pad(__entry->name, bdi_dev_name(wb->bdi), 32);
 		__entry->cgroup_ino = __trace_wb_assign_cgroup(wb);
 	),
 	TP_printk("bdi %s: cgroup_ino=%lu",
@@ -438,7 +435,7 @@ TRACE_EVENT(writeback_bdi_register,
 		__array(char, name, 32)
 	),
 	TP_fast_assign(
-		strscpy_pad(__entry->name, dev_name(bdi->dev), 32);
+		strscpy_pad(__entry->name, bdi_dev_name(bdi), 32);
 	),
 	TP_printk("bdi %s",
 		__entry->name
@@ -463,7 +460,7 @@ DECLARE_EVENT_CLASS(wbc_class,
 	),
 
 	TP_fast_assign(
-		strscpy_pad(__entry->name, dev_name(bdi->dev), 32);
+		strscpy_pad(__entry->name, bdi_dev_name(bdi), 32);
 		__entry->nr_to_write	= wbc->nr_to_write;
 		__entry->pages_skipped	= wbc->pages_skipped;
 		__entry->sync_mode	= wbc->sync_mode;
@@ -514,7 +511,7 @@ TRACE_EVENT(writeback_queue_io,
 	),
 	TP_fast_assign(
 		unsigned long *older_than_this = work->older_than_this;
-		strscpy_pad(__entry->name, dev_name(wb->bdi->dev), 32);
+		strscpy_pad(__entry->name, bdi_dev_name(wb->bdi), 32);
 		__entry->older	= older_than_this ?  *older_than_this : 0;
 		__entry->age	= older_than_this ?
 				  (jiffies - *older_than_this) * 1000 / HZ : -1;
@@ -600,7 +597,7 @@ TRACE_EVENT(bdi_dirty_ratelimit,
 	),
 
 	TP_fast_assign(
-		strscpy_pad(__entry->bdi, dev_name(wb->bdi->dev), 32);
+		strscpy_pad(__entry->bdi, bdi_dev_name(wb->bdi), 32);
 		__entry->write_bw	= KBps(wb->write_bandwidth);
 		__entry->avg_write_bw	= KBps(wb->avg_write_bandwidth);
 		__entry->dirty_rate	= KBps(dirty_rate);
@@ -665,7 +662,7 @@ TRACE_EVENT(balance_dirty_pages,
 
 	TP_fast_assign(
 		unsigned long freerun = (thresh + bg_thresh) / 2;
-		strscpy_pad(__entry->bdi, dev_name(wb->bdi->dev), 32);
+		strscpy_pad(__entry->bdi, bdi_dev_name(wb->bdi), 32);
 
 		__entry->limit		= global_wb_domain.dirty_limit;
 		__entry->setpoint	= (global_wb_domain.dirty_limit +
@@ -726,7 +723,7 @@ TRACE_EVENT(writeback_sb_inodes_requeue,
 
 	TP_fast_assign(
 		strscpy_pad(__entry->name,
-			    dev_name(inode_to_bdi(inode)->dev), 32);
+			    bdi_dev_name(inode_to_bdi(inode)), 32);
 		__entry->ino		= inode->i_ino;
 		__entry->state		= inode->i_state;
 		__entry->dirtied_when	= inode->dirtied_when;
@@ -800,7 +797,7 @@ DECLARE_EVENT_CLASS(writeback_single_inode_template,
 
 	TP_fast_assign(
 		strscpy_pad(__entry->name,
-			    dev_name(inode_to_bdi(inode)->dev), 32);
+			    bdi_dev_name(inode_to_bdi(inode)), 32);
 		__entry->ino		= inode->i_ino;
 		__entry->state		= inode->i_state;
 		__entry->dirtied_when	= inode->dirtied_when;
diff --git a/mm/backing-dev.c b/mm/backing-dev.c
index c360f6a6c844..62f05f605fb5 100644
--- a/mm/backing-dev.c
+++ b/mm/backing-dev.c
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ struct backing_dev_info noop_backing_dev_info = {
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(noop_backing_dev_info);
 
 static struct class *bdi_class;
+const char *bdi_unknown_name = "(unknown)";
 
 /*
  * bdi_lock protects bdi_tree and updates to bdi_list. bdi_list has RCU