diff --git a/app/test/test_mempool.c b/app/test/test_mempool.c
index 2bc3ac0e72..7af708bfd4 100644
--- a/app/test/test_mempool.c
+++ b/app/test/test_mempool.c
@@ -407,21 +407,25 @@ test_mempool_same_name_twice_creation(void)
 {
 	struct rte_mempool *mp_tc;
 
-	mp_tc = rte_mempool_create("test_mempool_same_name_twice_creation", MEMPOOL_SIZE,
+	mp_tc = rte_mempool_create("test_mempool_same_name", MEMPOOL_SIZE,
 						MEMPOOL_ELT_SIZE, 0, 0,
 						NULL, NULL,
 						NULL, NULL,
 						SOCKET_ID_ANY, 0);
-	if (NULL == mp_tc)
+	if (mp_tc == NULL) {
+		printf("cannot create mempool\n");
 		return -1;
+	}
 
-	mp_tc = rte_mempool_create("test_mempool_same_name_twice_creation", MEMPOOL_SIZE,
+	mp_tc = rte_mempool_create("test_mempool_same_name", MEMPOOL_SIZE,
 						MEMPOOL_ELT_SIZE, 0, 0,
 						NULL, NULL,
 						NULL, NULL,
 						SOCKET_ID_ANY, 0);
-	if (NULL != mp_tc)
+	if (mp_tc != NULL) {
+		printf("should not be able to create mempool\n");
 		return -1;
+	}
 
 	return 0;
 }
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_memzone.c b/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_memzone.c
index a8f804c14d..452679ef9e 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_memzone.c
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/eal_common_memzone.c
@@ -126,6 +126,7 @@ static const struct rte_memzone *
 memzone_reserve_aligned_thread_unsafe(const char *name, size_t len,
 		int socket_id, unsigned flags, unsigned align, unsigned bound)
 {
+	struct rte_memzone *mz;
 	struct rte_mem_config *mcfg;
 	size_t requested_len;
 	int socket, i;
@@ -148,6 +149,13 @@ memzone_reserve_aligned_thread_unsafe(const char *name, size_t len,
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
+	if (strlen(name) >= sizeof(mz->name) - 1) {
+		RTE_LOG(DEBUG, EAL, "%s(): memzone <%s>: name too long\n",
+			__func__, name);
+		rte_errno = EEXIST;
+		return NULL;
+	}
+
 	/* if alignment is not a power of two */
 	if (align && !rte_is_power_of_2(align)) {
 		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "%s(): Invalid alignment: %u\n", __func__,
@@ -223,7 +231,7 @@ memzone_reserve_aligned_thread_unsafe(const char *name, size_t len,
 	const struct malloc_elem *elem = malloc_elem_from_data(mz_addr);
 
 	/* fill the zone in config */
-	struct rte_memzone *mz = get_next_free_memzone();
+	mz = get_next_free_memzone();
 
 	if (mz == NULL) {
 		RTE_LOG(ERR, EAL, "%s(): Cannot find free memzone but there is room "
diff --git a/lib/librte_mempool/rte_mempool.c b/lib/librte_mempool/rte_mempool.c
index df2ae0e681..a694a0bf55 100644
--- a/lib/librte_mempool/rte_mempool.c
+++ b/lib/librte_mempool/rte_mempool.c
@@ -304,11 +304,14 @@ rte_mempool_xmem_usage(__rte_unused void *vaddr, uint32_t elt_num,
 static int
 rte_mempool_ring_create(struct rte_mempool *mp)
 {
-	int rg_flags = 0;
+	int rg_flags = 0, ret;
 	char rg_name[RTE_RING_NAMESIZE];
 	struct rte_ring *r;
 
-	snprintf(rg_name, sizeof(rg_name), RTE_MEMPOOL_MZ_FORMAT, mp->name);
+	ret = snprintf(rg_name, sizeof(rg_name),
+		RTE_MEMPOOL_MZ_FORMAT, mp->name);
+	if (ret < 0 || ret >= (int)sizeof(rg_name))
+		return -ENAMETOOLONG;
 
 	/* ring flags */
 	if (mp->flags & MEMPOOL_F_SP_PUT)
@@ -698,6 +701,7 @@ rte_mempool_create_empty(const char *name, unsigned n, unsigned elt_size,
 	size_t mempool_size;
 	int mz_flags = RTE_MEMZONE_1GB|RTE_MEMZONE_SIZE_HINT_ONLY;
 	struct rte_mempool_objsz objsz;
+	int ret;
 
 	/* compilation-time checks */
 	RTE_BUILD_BUG_ON((sizeof(struct rte_mempool) &
@@ -751,7 +755,11 @@ rte_mempool_create_empty(const char *name, unsigned n, unsigned elt_size,
 	mempool_size += private_data_size;
 	mempool_size = RTE_ALIGN_CEIL(mempool_size, RTE_MEMPOOL_ALIGN);
 
-	snprintf(mz_name, sizeof(mz_name), RTE_MEMPOOL_MZ_FORMAT, name);
+	ret = snprintf(mz_name, sizeof(mz_name), RTE_MEMPOOL_MZ_FORMAT, name);
+	if (ret < 0 || ret >= (int)sizeof(mz_name)) {
+		rte_errno = ENAMETOOLONG;
+		goto exit_unlock;
+	}
 
 	mz = rte_memzone_reserve(mz_name, mempool_size, socket_id, mz_flags);
 	if (mz == NULL)
@@ -760,7 +768,11 @@ rte_mempool_create_empty(const char *name, unsigned n, unsigned elt_size,
 	/* init the mempool structure */
 	mp = mz->addr;
 	memset(mp, 0, sizeof(*mp));
-	snprintf(mp->name, sizeof(mp->name), "%s", name);
+	ret = snprintf(mp->name, sizeof(mp->name), "%s", name);
+	if (ret < 0 || ret >= (int)sizeof(mp->name)) {
+		rte_errno = ENAMETOOLONG;
+		goto exit_unlock;
+	}
 	mp->mz = mz;
 	mp->socket_id = socket_id;
 	mp->size = n;
diff --git a/lib/librte_ring/rte_ring.c b/lib/librte_ring/rte_ring.c
index d80faf3b20..ca0a10826c 100644
--- a/lib/librte_ring/rte_ring.c
+++ b/lib/librte_ring/rte_ring.c
@@ -122,6 +122,8 @@ int
 rte_ring_init(struct rte_ring *r, const char *name, unsigned count,
 	unsigned flags)
 {
+	int ret;
+
 	/* compilation-time checks */
 	RTE_BUILD_BUG_ON((sizeof(struct rte_ring) &
 			  RTE_CACHE_LINE_MASK) != 0);
@@ -140,7 +142,9 @@ rte_ring_init(struct rte_ring *r, const char *name, unsigned count,
 
 	/* init the ring structure */
 	memset(r, 0, sizeof(*r));
-	snprintf(r->name, sizeof(r->name), "%s", name);
+	ret = snprintf(r->name, sizeof(r->name), "%s", name);
+	if (ret < 0 || ret >= (int)sizeof(r->name))
+		return -ENAMETOOLONG;
 	r->flags = flags;
 	r->prod.watermark = count;
 	r->prod.sp_enqueue = !!(flags & RING_F_SP_ENQ);
@@ -165,6 +169,7 @@ rte_ring_create(const char *name, unsigned count, int socket_id,
 	ssize_t ring_size;
 	int mz_flags = 0;
 	struct rte_ring_list* ring_list = NULL;
+	int ret;
 
 	ring_list = RTE_TAILQ_CAST(rte_ring_tailq.head, rte_ring_list);
 
@@ -174,6 +179,13 @@ rte_ring_create(const char *name, unsigned count, int socket_id,
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
+	ret = snprintf(mz_name, sizeof(mz_name), "%s%s",
+		RTE_RING_MZ_PREFIX, name);
+	if (ret < 0 || ret >= (int)sizeof(mz_name)) {
+		rte_errno = ENAMETOOLONG;
+		return NULL;
+	}
+
 	te = rte_zmalloc("RING_TAILQ_ENTRY", sizeof(*te), 0);
 	if (te == NULL) {
 		RTE_LOG(ERR, RING, "Cannot reserve memory for tailq\n");
@@ -181,8 +193,6 @@ rte_ring_create(const char *name, unsigned count, int socket_id,
 		return NULL;
 	}
 
-	snprintf(mz_name, sizeof(mz_name), "%s%s", RTE_RING_MZ_PREFIX, name);
-
 	rte_rwlock_write_lock(RTE_EAL_TAILQ_RWLOCK);
 
 	/* reserve a memory zone for this ring. If we can't get rte_config or