diff --git a/icu4c/source/common/ucnv_io.c b/icu4c/source/common/ucnv_io.c
index 7cf0509b679..4eb6ea344a1 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/common/ucnv_io.c
+++ b/icu4c/source/common/ucnv_io.c
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ static int16_t getTagNumber(const char *tagname) {
  * lexically follows name2.
  */
 U_CAPI int U_EXPORT2
-ucnv_aliasNameCmp(const char *name1, const char *name2) {
+ucnv_compareNames(const char *name1, const char *name2) {
     int rc;
     unsigned char c1, c2;
 
@@ -261,7 +261,7 @@ findAlias(const char *alias) {
     start=0;
     while(start<limit-1) {
         i=(uint16_t)((start+limit)/2);
-        if(ucnv_aliasNameCmp(name, (const char *)aliasTable+p[i])<0) {
+        if(ucnv_compareNames(name, (const char *)aliasTable+p[i])<0) {
             limit=i;
         } else {
             start=i;
@@ -269,7 +269,7 @@ findAlias(const char *alias) {
     }
 
     /* did we really find it? */
-    if(ucnv_aliasNameCmp(name, (const char *)aliasTable+p[start])==0) {
+    if(ucnv_compareNames(name, (const char *)aliasTable+p[start])==0) {
         limit=*(p-1);       /* aliasCount */
         p+=limit;           /* advance to the second column of the alias table */
         i=p[start];         /* converter index */
diff --git a/icu4c/source/common/unicode/ucnv.h b/icu4c/source/common/unicode/ucnv.h
index bb18cbf6f43..0ab27cc35a1 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/common/unicode/ucnv.h
+++ b/icu4c/source/common/unicode/ucnv.h
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ U_CDECL_END
  * lexically follows name2.
  */
 U_CAPI int U_EXPORT2
-ucnv_aliasNameCmp(const char *name1, const char *name2);
+ucnv_compareNames(const char *name1, const char *name2);
 
 
 /**
diff --git a/icu4c/source/tools/gencnval/gencnval.c b/icu4c/source/tools/gencnval/gencnval.c
index 7a130d7c0b4..a40ac569923 100644
--- a/icu4c/source/tools/gencnval/gencnval.c
+++ b/icu4c/source/tools/gencnval/gencnval.c
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 #include <stdlib.h>
 #include <ctype.h>
 #include "unicode/utypes.h"
-#include "unicode/ucnv.h" /* ucnv_aliasNameCmp() */
+#include "unicode/ucnv.h" /* ucnv_compareNames() */
 #include "cmemory.h"
 #include "cstring.h"
 #include "filestrm.h"
@@ -488,7 +488,7 @@ allocString(StringBlock *block, uint32_t length) {
 
 static int
 compareAliases(const void *alias1, const void *alias2) {
-    return ucnv_aliasNameCmp(((Alias*)alias1)->alias, ((Alias*)alias2)->alias);
+    return ucnv_compareNames(((Alias*)alias1)->alias, ((Alias*)alias2)->alias);
 }
 
 /*