diff --git a/include/linux/sysctl.h b/include/linux/sysctl.h
index 1b24bd45e080..c184732a70fc 100644
--- a/include/linux/sysctl.h
+++ b/include/linux/sysctl.h
@@ -961,8 +961,8 @@ extern ctl_handler sysctl_ms_jiffies;
 /*
  * Register a set of sysctl names by calling register_sysctl_table
  * with an initialised array of ctl_table's.  An entry with zero
- * ctl_name terminates the table.  table->de will be set up by the
- * registration and need not be initialised in advance.
+ * ctl_name and NULL procname terminates the table.  table->de will be
+ * set up by the registration and need not be initialised in advance.
  *
  * sysctl names can be mirrored automatically under /proc/sys.  The
  * procname supplied controls /proc naming.
@@ -973,7 +973,10 @@ extern ctl_handler sysctl_ms_jiffies;
  * Leaf nodes in the sysctl tree will be represented by a single file
  * under /proc; non-leaf nodes will be represented by directories.  A
  * null procname disables /proc mirroring at this node.
- * 
+ *
+ * sysctl entries with a zero ctl_name will not be available through
+ * the binary sysctl interface.
+ *
  * sysctl(2) can automatically manage read and write requests through
  * the sysctl table.  The data and maxlen fields of the ctl_table
  * struct enable minimal validation of the values being written to be
diff --git a/kernel/sysctl.c b/kernel/sysctl.c
index 0c8e805bbd6f..09e569f4792b 100644
--- a/kernel/sysctl.c
+++ b/kernel/sysctl.c
@@ -1315,7 +1315,9 @@ static int parse_table(int __user *name, int nlen,
 		return -ENOTDIR;
 	if (get_user(n, name))
 		return -EFAULT;
-	for ( ; table->ctl_name; table++) {
+	for ( ; table->ctl_name || table->procname; table++) {
+		if (!table->ctl_name)
+			continue;
 		if (n == table->ctl_name || table->ctl_name == CTL_ANY) {
 			int error;
 			if (table->child) {
@@ -1532,7 +1534,7 @@ static void register_proc_table(ctl_table * table, struct proc_dir_entry *root,
 	int len;
 	mode_t mode;
 	
-	for (; table->ctl_name; table++) {
+	for (; table->ctl_name || table->procname; table++) {
 		/* Can't do anything without a proc name. */
 		if (!table->procname)
 			continue;
@@ -1579,7 +1581,7 @@ static void register_proc_table(ctl_table * table, struct proc_dir_entry *root,
 static void unregister_proc_table(ctl_table * table, struct proc_dir_entry *root)
 {
 	struct proc_dir_entry *de;
-	for (; table->ctl_name; table++) {
+	for (; table->ctl_name || table->procname; table++) {
 		if (!(de = table->de))
 			continue;
 		if (de->mode & S_IFDIR) {