diff --git a/drivers/mtd/ftl.c b/drivers/mtd/ftl.c
index e3faab18ac..e97296d55a 100644
--- a/drivers/mtd/ftl.c
+++ b/drivers/mtd/ftl.c
@@ -1,7 +1,8 @@
 /****************************************************************************
  * drivers/mtd/ftl.c
  *
- *   Copyright (C) 2009, 2011-2012, 2016 Gregory Nutt. All rights reserved.
+ *   Copyright (C) 2009, 2011-2012, 2016, 2018 Gregory Nutt. All rights
+ *     reserved.
  *   Author: Gregory Nutt <gnutt@nuttx.org>
  *
  * Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
@@ -499,28 +500,28 @@ static int ftl_ioctl(FAR struct inode *inode, int cmd, unsigned long arg)
  ****************************************************************************/
 
 /****************************************************************************
- * Name: ftl_initialize
+ * Name: ftl_initialize_by_name
  *
  * Description:
  *   Initialize to provide a block driver wrapper around an MTD interface
  *
  * Input Parameters:
- *   minor - The minor device number.  The MTD block device will be
- *      registered as as /dev/mtdblockN where N is the minor number.
- *   mtd - The MTD device that supports the FLASH interface.
+ *   name - The device name.  The MTD block device will be
+ *          registered as as /dev/mtdNAME where NAME is the device name.
+ *   mtd  - The MTD device that supports the FLASH interface.
  *
  ****************************************************************************/
 
-int ftl_initialize(int minor, FAR struct mtd_dev_s *mtd)
+int ftl_initialize_by_name(FAR const char *name, FAR struct mtd_dev_s *mtd)
 {
   struct ftl_struct_s *dev;
-  char devname[16];
+  char devname[64];
   int ret = -ENOMEM;
 
+#ifdef CONFIG_DEBUG_FEATURES
   /* Sanity check */
 
-#ifdef CONFIG_DEBUG_FEATURES
-  if (minor < 0 || minor > 255 || !mtd)
+  if (name == NULL || mtd == NULL)
     {
       return -EINVAL;
     }
@@ -596,7 +597,7 @@ int ftl_initialize(int minor, FAR struct mtd_dev_s *mtd)
 
       /* Create a MTD block device name */
 
-      snprintf(devname, 16, "/dev/mtdblock%d", minor);
+      snprintf(devname, 64, "/dev/mtd%s", name);
 
       /* Inode private data is a reference to the FTL device structure */
 
@@ -613,3 +614,35 @@ int ftl_initialize(int minor, FAR struct mtd_dev_s *mtd)
 
   return ret;
 }
+
+/****************************************************************************
+ * Name: ftl_initialize
+ *
+ * Description:
+ *   Initialize to provide a block driver wrapper around an MTD interface
+ *
+ * Input Parameters:
+ *   minor - The minor device number.  The MTD block device will be
+ *           registered as as /dev/mtdblockN where N is the minor number.
+ *   mtd   - The MTD device that supports the FLASH interface.
+ *
+ ****************************************************************************/
+
+int ftl_initialize(int minor, FAR struct mtd_dev_s *mtd)
+{
+  char name[16];
+
+#ifdef CONFIG_DEBUG_FEATURES
+  /* Sanity check */
+
+  if (minor < 0 || minor > 255)
+    {
+      return -EINVAL;
+    }
+#endif
+
+  /* Do the real work by ftl_initialize_by_name */
+
+  snprintf(name, 16, "block%d", minor);
+  return ftl_initialize_by_name(name, mtd);
+}
diff --git a/include/nuttx/mtd/mtd.h b/include/nuttx/mtd/mtd.h
index 9ea98435c8..1cce4cdab6 100644
--- a/include/nuttx/mtd/mtd.h
+++ b/include/nuttx/mtd/mtd.h
@@ -287,6 +287,21 @@ int mtd_setpartitionname(FAR struct mtd_dev_s *mtd, FAR const char *name);
 FAR struct mtd_dev_s *mtd_rwb_initialize(FAR struct mtd_dev_s *mtd);
 #endif
 
+/****************************************************************************
+ * Name: ftl_initialize_by_name
+ *
+ * Description:
+ *   Initialize to provide a block driver wrapper around an MTD interface
+ *
+ * Input Parameters:
+ *   name - The device name.  The MTD block device will be
+ *          registered as as /dev/mtdNAME where NAME is the device name.
+ *   mtd  - The MTD device that supports the FLASH interface.
+ *
+ ****************************************************************************/
+
+int ftl_initialize_by_name(FAR const char *name, FAR struct mtd_dev_s *mtd);
+
 /****************************************************************************
  * Name: ftl_initialize
  *