diff --git a/src/Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.Core/ActionNameAttribute.cs b/src/Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.Core/ActionNameAttribute.cs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..bc6d1376c9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.Core/ActionNameAttribute.cs
@@ -0,0 +1,15 @@
+using System;
+
+namespace Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc
+{
+    [AttributeUsage(AttributeTargets.Method, AllowMultiple = false, Inherited = true)]
+    public sealed class ActionNameAttribute : Attribute
+    {
+        public ActionNameAttribute(string name)
+        {
+            Name = name;
+        }
+
+        public string Name { get; private set; }
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.Core/DefaultActionDiscoveryConventions.cs b/src/Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.Core/DefaultActionDiscoveryConventions.cs
index 531058e7d4..f9b45204aa 100644
--- a/src/Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.Core/DefaultActionDiscoveryConventions.cs
+++ b/src/Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.Core/DefaultActionDiscoveryConventions.cs
@@ -104,38 +104,43 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc
         private bool HasCustomAttributes(MethodInfo methodInfo)
         {
             var actionAttributes = GetActionCustomAttributes(methodInfo);
-            return actionAttributes.HttpMethodProviderAttributes.Any();
+            return actionAttributes.Any();
         }
 
         private ActionAttributes GetActionCustomAttributes(MethodInfo methodInfo)
         {
-            var httpMethodConstraints = methodInfo.GetCustomAttributes().OfType<IActionHttpMethodProvider>();
+            var attributes = methodInfo.GetCustomAttributes();
+            var actionNameAttribute = attributes.OfType<ActionNameAttribute>().FirstOrDefault();
+            var httpMethodConstraints = attributes.OfType<IActionHttpMethodProvider>();
             return new ActionAttributes()
             {
-                HttpMethodProviderAttributes = httpMethodConstraints
+                HttpMethodProviderAttributes = httpMethodConstraints,
+                ActionNameAttribute = actionNameAttribute
             };
         }
 
         private IEnumerable<ActionInfo> GetActionsForMethodsWithCustomAttributes(MethodInfo methodInfo)
         {
-            var httpMethodConstraints = GetActionCustomAttributes(methodInfo).HttpMethodProviderAttributes;
-            if (!httpMethodConstraints.Any())
+            var actionAttributes = GetActionCustomAttributes(methodInfo);
+            if (!actionAttributes.Any())
             {
+                // If the action is not decorated with any of the attributes, 
+                // it would be handled by convention.
                 yield break;
             }
 
-            var httpMethods = httpMethodConstraints.SelectMany(x => x.HttpMethods).Distinct().ToArray();
-            if (httpMethods.Any())
+            var actionNameAttribute = actionAttributes.ActionNameAttribute;
+            var actionName = actionNameAttribute != null ? actionNameAttribute.Name : methodInfo.Name;
+
+            var httpMethodProviders = actionAttributes.HttpMethodProviderAttributes;
+            var httpMethods = httpMethodProviders.SelectMany(x => x.HttpMethods).Distinct().ToArray();
+
+            yield return new ActionInfo()
             {
-                // Any method which does not follow convention and does not have
-                // an explicit NoAction attribute is exposed as a method with action name.
-                yield return new ActionInfo()
-                {
-                    HttpMethods = httpMethods,
-                    ActionName = methodInfo.Name,
-                    RequireActionNameMatch = true
-                };
-            }
+                HttpMethods = httpMethods,
+                ActionName = actionName,
+                RequireActionNameMatch = true
+            };
         }
 
         private IEnumerable<ActionInfo> GetActionsForMethodsWithoutCustomAttributes(MethodInfo methodInfo, TypeInfo controllerTypeInfo)
@@ -201,7 +206,13 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc
 
         private class ActionAttributes
         {
-            public IEnumerable<IActionHttpMethodProvider> HttpMethodProviderAttributes { get; set; } 
+            public IEnumerable<IActionHttpMethodProvider> HttpMethodProviderAttributes { get; set; }
+            public ActionNameAttribute ActionNameAttribute { get; set; }
+
+            public bool Any()
+            {
+                return ActionNameAttribute != null || HttpMethodProviderAttributes.Any();
+            }
         }
     }
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.Core.Test/ActionAttributeTests.cs b/test/Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.Core.Test/ActionAttributeTests.cs
index 268f0acb9c..97b0fefef2 100644
--- a/test/Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.Core.Test/ActionAttributeTests.cs
+++ b/test/Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.Core.Test/ActionAttributeTests.cs
@@ -108,6 +108,64 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.Core.Test
             Assert.Equal("Index", result.Name);
         }
 
+        [Theory]
+        [InlineData("GET")]
+        [InlineData("PUT")]
+        [InlineData("POST")]
+        [InlineData("DELETE")]
+        [InlineData("PATCH")]
+        public async Task ActionNameAttribute_ActionGetsExposedViaActionName_UnreachableByConvention(string verb)
+        {
+            // Arrange
+            var requestContext = new RequestContext(
+                                        GetHttpContext(verb),
+                                        new Dictionary<string, object>
+                                            {
+                                                { "controller", "ActionName" },
+                                                { "action", "RPCMethodWithHttpGet" }
+                                            });
+
+            // Act
+            var result = await InvokeActionSelector(requestContext);
+
+            // Assert
+            Assert.Equal(null, result);
+        }
+
+        [Theory]
+        [InlineData("GET", "CustomActionName_Verb")]
+        [InlineData("PUT", "CustomActionName_Verb")]
+        [InlineData("POST", "CustomActionName_Verb")]
+        [InlineData("DELETE", "CustomActionName_Verb")]
+        [InlineData("PATCH", "CustomActionName_Verb")]
+        [InlineData("GET", "CustomActionName_DefaultMethod")]
+        [InlineData("PUT", "CustomActionName_DefaultMethod")]
+        [InlineData("POST", "CustomActionName_DefaultMethod")]
+        [InlineData("DELETE", "CustomActionName_DefaultMethod")]
+        [InlineData("PATCH", "CustomActionName_DefaultMethod")]
+        [InlineData("GET", "CustomActionName_RpcMethod")]
+        [InlineData("PUT", "CustomActionName_RpcMethod")]
+        [InlineData("POST", "CustomActionName_RpcMethod")]
+        [InlineData("DELETE", "CustomActionName_RpcMethod")]
+        [InlineData("PATCH", "CustomActionName_RpcMethod")]
+        public async Task ActionNameAttribute_DifferentActionName_UsesActionNameFromActionNameAttribute(string verb, string actionName)
+        {
+            // Arrange
+            var requestContext = new RequestContext(
+                                        GetHttpContext(verb),
+                                        new Dictionary<string, object>
+                                            {
+                                                { "controller", "ActionName" },
+                                                { "action", actionName }
+                                            });
+
+            // Act
+            var result = await InvokeActionSelector(requestContext);
+
+            // Assert
+            Assert.Equal(actionName, result.Name);
+        }
+
         private async Task<ActionDescriptor> InvokeActionSelector(RequestContext context)
         {
             return await InvokeActionSelector(context, _actionDiscoveryConventions);
@@ -178,6 +236,24 @@ namespace Microsoft.AspNet.Mvc.Core.Test
             { }
         }
 
+        private class ActionNameController
+        {
+            [ActionName("CustomActionName_Verb")]
+            public void Put()
+            {
+            }
+
+            [ActionName("CustomActionName_DefaultMethod")]
+            public void Index()
+            {
+            }
+
+            [ActionName("CustomActionName_RpcMethod")]
+            public void RPCMethodWithHttpGet()
+            {
+            }
+        }
+
         private class HttpMethodAttributeTests_RestOnlyController
         {
             [HttpGet]