diff --git a/src/opnsense/mvc/app/controllers/OPNsense/Interfaces/Api/VlanSettingsController.php b/src/opnsense/mvc/app/controllers/OPNsense/Interfaces/Api/VlanSettingsController.php
index 64429c477..978e14a5c 100644
--- a/src/opnsense/mvc/app/controllers/OPNsense/Interfaces/Api/VlanSettingsController.php
+++ b/src/opnsense/mvc/app/controllers/OPNsense/Interfaces/Api/VlanSettingsController.php
@@ -42,7 +42,10 @@ class VlanSettingsController extends ApiMutableModelControllerBase
     {
         $tmp = $this->request->getPost('vlan');
         $prefix = (strpos($tmp['if'], 'vlan') === false ? 'vlan' : 'qinq');
-        if ($current != null && (string)$current->vlanif == "{$tmp['if']}_vlan{$tmp['tag']}") {
+        if (!empty($tmp['vlanif'])) {
+            // user provided vlan name, field validation applies so we may just paste it in here
+            return $tmp['vlanif'];
+        } elseif ($current != null && (string)$current->vlanif == "{$tmp['if']}_vlan{$tmp['tag']}") {
             /* keep legacy naming */
             return "{$tmp['if']}_vlan{$tmp['tag']}";
         } elseif (
@@ -55,7 +58,7 @@ class VlanSettingsController extends ApiMutableModelControllerBase
             /* auto-number new device */
             $ifid = 0;
             foreach ($this->getModel()->vlan->iterateItems() as $node) {
-                if (strpos((string)$node->vlanif, $prefix) === 0) {
+                if (preg_match("/^({$prefix})(\d)*$/i",(string)$node->vlanif)) {
                     $ifid = max($ifid, (int)filter_var((string)$node->vlanif, FILTER_SANITIZE_NUMBER_INT));
                 }
             }
diff --git a/src/opnsense/mvc/app/controllers/OPNsense/Interfaces/forms/dialogVlan.xml b/src/opnsense/mvc/app/controllers/OPNsense/Interfaces/forms/dialogVlan.xml
index d97c5160d..b6580c217 100644
--- a/src/opnsense/mvc/app/controllers/OPNsense/Interfaces/forms/dialogVlan.xml
+++ b/src/opnsense/mvc/app/controllers/OPNsense/Interfaces/forms/dialogVlan.xml
@@ -2,7 +2,12 @@
     <field>
         <id>vlan.vlanif</id>
         <label>Device</label>
-        <type>info</type>
+        <type>text</type>
+        <help>
+          Leave empty to generate a device name for you. Custom names are possible,
+          but only if the start of the name matches the type and contains standard alphanumeric characters
+          or underscores (e.g. vlan_1_2_3, qinq_1_2_3).
+        </help>
     </field>
     <field>
         <id>vlan.if</id>
diff --git a/src/opnsense/mvc/app/models/OPNsense/Interfaces/Vlan.php b/src/opnsense/mvc/app/models/OPNsense/Interfaces/Vlan.php
index 83709376f..37d96aca4 100644
--- a/src/opnsense/mvc/app/models/OPNsense/Interfaces/Vlan.php
+++ b/src/opnsense/mvc/app/models/OPNsense/Interfaces/Vlan.php
@@ -28,8 +28,44 @@
 
 namespace OPNsense\Interfaces;
 
+use Phalcon\Messages\Message;
 use OPNsense\Base\BaseModel;
 
 class Vlan extends BaseModel
 {
+    /**
+     * {@inheritdoc}
+     */
+    public function performValidation($validateFullModel = false)
+    {
+        $messages = parent::performValidation($validateFullModel);
+        $all_nodes = $this->getFlatNodes();
+        foreach ($all_nodes as $key => $node) {
+            if ($validateFullModel || $node->isFieldChanged()) {
+                // the item container may have different validations attached.
+                $parent = $node->getParentNode();
+                // perform plugin specific validations
+                switch ($node->getInternalXMLTagName()) {
+                    case 'vlanif':
+                        $prefix = (strpos((string)$parent->if, 'vlan') === false ? 'vlan' : 'qinq');
+                        if ((string)$node == "{$parent->if}_vlan{$parent->tag}") {
+                            // legacy device name
+                            break;
+                        } elseif (!(strpos((string)$node, (string)$prefix) === 0)) {
+                            $messages->appendMessage(new Message(
+                                sprintf(gettext("device name does not match type (e.g. %s_xxx)."), (string)$prefix) ,
+                                $key
+                            ));
+                        } elseif (!preg_match("/^([a-zA-Z0-9_]){1,16}$/", (string)$node)) {
+                            $messages->appendMessage(new Message(
+                                gettext("Invalid device name, only up to 16 alphanumeric characters are supported."),
+                                $key
+                            ));
+                        }
+                        break;
+                }
+            }
+        }
+        return $messages;
+    }
 }