diff --git a/lib/publish.js b/lib/publish.js
index 19e03293..7bbce2a5 100644
--- a/lib/publish.js
+++ b/lib/publish.js
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ module.exports = async (pluginConfig, context) => {
   const {
     cwd,
     options: {repositoryUrl},
-    nextRelease: {gitTag, gitHead, notes},
+    nextRelease: {gitTag, name, gitHead, notes},
     logger,
   } = context;
   const {gitlabToken, gitlabUrl, gitlabApiUrl, assets, milestones} = resolveConfig(pluginConfig, context);
@@ -25,7 +25,8 @@ module.exports = async (pluginConfig, context) => {
   const apiOptions = {headers: {'PRIVATE-TOKEN': gitlabToken}};
 
   debug('repoId: %o', repoId);
-  debug('release name: %o', gitTag);
+  debug('release name: %o', name);
+  debug('release gitTag: %o', gitTag);
   debug('release ref: %o', gitHead);
   debug('milestones: %o', milestones);
 
@@ -75,6 +76,7 @@ module.exports = async (pluginConfig, context) => {
     ...apiOptions,
     json: {
       /* eslint-disable camelcase */
+      name: name ? name : gitTag,
       tag_name: gitTag,
       description: notes && notes.trim() ? notes : gitTag,
       milestones,
diff --git a/test/integration.test.js b/test/integration.test.js
index 4a76dcdc..0e360c7a 100644
--- a/test/integration.test.js
+++ b/test/integration.test.js
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ test.serial('Publish a release', async t => {
   const owner = 'test_user';
   const repo = 'test_repo';
   const env = {GL_TOKEN: 'gitlab_token'};
-  const nextRelease = {gitHead: '123', gitTag: 'v1.0.0', notes: 'Test release note body'};
+  const nextRelease = {gitHead: '123', name: 'v1.0.0', gitTag: 'v1.0.0', notes: 'Test release note body'};
   const options = {branch: 'master', repositoryUrl: `https://gitlab.com/${owner}/${repo}.git`};
   const encodedRepoId = encodeURIComponent(`${owner}/${repo}`);
 
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ test.serial('Publish a release', async t => {
     .get(`/projects/${encodedRepoId}`)
     .reply(200, {permissions: {project_access: {access_level: 30}}})
     .post(`/projects/${encodedRepoId}/releases`, {
+      name: nextRelease.name || nextRelease.gitTag,
       tag_name: nextRelease.gitTag,
       description: nextRelease.notes,
       assets: {
@@ -88,12 +89,13 @@ test.serial('Verify Github auth and release', async t => {
   const repo = 'test_repo';
   const options = {repositoryUrl: `https://github.com/${owner}/${repo}.git`};
   const encodedRepoId = encodeURIComponent(`${owner}/${repo}`);
-  const nextRelease = {gitHead: '123', gitTag: 'v1.0.0', notes: 'Test release note body'};
+  const nextRelease = {gitHead: '123', name: 'v1.0.0', gitTag: 'v1.0.0', notes: 'Test release note body'};
 
   const gitlab = authenticate(env)
     .get(`/projects/${encodedRepoId}`)
     .reply(200, {permissions: {project_access: {access_level: 30}}})
     .post(`/projects/${encodedRepoId}/releases`, {
+      name: nextRelease.name,
       tag_name: nextRelease.gitTag,
       description: nextRelease.notes,
       assets: {
diff --git a/test/publish.test.js b/test/publish.test.js
index af1f795b..2c89d9af 100644
--- a/test/publish.test.js
+++ b/test/publish.test.js
@@ -24,12 +24,13 @@ test.serial('Publish a release', async t => {
   const repo = 'test_repo';
   const env = {GITLAB_TOKEN: 'gitlab_token'};
   const pluginConfig = {};
-  const nextRelease = {gitHead: '123', gitTag: 'v1.0.0', notes: 'Test release note body'};
+  const nextRelease = {gitHead: '123', name: 'v1.0.0', gitTag: 'v1.0.0', notes: 'Test release note body'};
   const options = {repositoryUrl: `https://gitlab.com/${owner}/${repo}.git`};
   const encodedRepoId = encodeURIComponent(`${owner}/${repo}`);
   const encodedGitTag = encodeURIComponent(nextRelease.gitTag);
   const gitlab = authenticate(env)
     .post(`/projects/${encodedRepoId}/releases`, {
+      name: nextRelease.name,
       tag_name: nextRelease.gitTag,
       description: nextRelease.notes,
       assets: {
@@ -50,7 +51,7 @@ test.serial('Publish a release with assets', async t => {
   const owner = 'test_user';
   const repo = 'test_repo';
   const env = {GITLAB_TOKEN: 'gitlab_token'};
-  const nextRelease = {gitHead: '123', gitTag: 'v1.0.0', notes: 'Test release note body'};
+  const nextRelease = {gitHead: '123', name: 'v1.0.0', gitTag: 'v1.0.0', notes: 'Test release note body'};
   const options = {repositoryUrl: `https://gitlab.com/${owner}/${repo}.git`};
   const encodedRepoId = encodeURIComponent(`${owner}/${repo}`);
   const encodedGitTag = encodeURIComponent(nextRelease.gitTag);
@@ -58,6 +59,7 @@ test.serial('Publish a release with assets', async t => {
   const assets = [['**', '!**/*.txt', '!.dotfile']];
   const gitlab = authenticate(env)
     .post(`/projects/${encodedRepoId}/releases`, {
+      name: nextRelease.name,
       tag_name: nextRelease.gitTag,
       description: nextRelease.notes,
       assets: {
@@ -161,7 +163,7 @@ test.serial('Publish a release with array of missing assets', async t => {
   const owner = 'test_user';
   const repo = 'test_repo';
   const env = {GITLAB_TOKEN: 'gitlab_token'};
-  const nextRelease = {gitHead: '123', gitTag: 'v1.0.0', notes: 'Test release note body'};
+  const nextRelease = {gitHead: '123', name: 'v1.0.0', gitTag: 'v1.0.0', notes: 'Test release note body'};
   const options = {repositoryUrl: `https://gitlab.com/${owner}/${repo}.git`};
   const encodedRepoId = encodeURIComponent(`${owner}/${repo}`);
   const encodedGitTag = encodeURIComponent(nextRelease.gitTag);
@@ -169,6 +171,7 @@ test.serial('Publish a release with array of missing assets', async t => {
   const assets = [emptyDirectory, {path: 'missing.txt', label: 'missing.txt'}];
   const gitlab = authenticate(env)
     .post(`/projects/${encodedRepoId}/releases`, {
+      name: nextRelease.name,
       tag_name: nextRelease.gitTag,
       description: nextRelease.notes,
       assets: {
@@ -188,7 +191,7 @@ test.serial('Publish a release with one asset and custom label', async t => {
   const owner = 'test_user';
   const repo = 'test_repo';
   const env = {GITLAB_TOKEN: 'gitlab_token'};
-  const nextRelease = {gitHead: '123', gitTag: 'v1.0.0', notes: 'Test release note body'};
+  const nextRelease = {gitHead: '123', name: 'v1.0.0', gitTag: 'v1.0.0', notes: 'Test release note body'};
   const options = {repositoryUrl: `https://gitlab.com/${owner}/${repo}.git`};
   const encodedRepoId = encodeURIComponent(`${owner}/${repo}`);
   const encodedGitTag = encodeURIComponent(nextRelease.gitTag);
@@ -197,6 +200,7 @@ test.serial('Publish a release with one asset and custom label', async t => {
   const assets = [{path: 'upload.txt', label: assetLabel}];
   const gitlab = authenticate(env)
     .post(`/projects/${encodedRepoId}/releases`, {
+      name: nextRelease.name,
       tag_name: nextRelease.gitTag,
       description: nextRelease.notes,
       assets: {
@@ -223,6 +227,33 @@ test.serial('Publish a release with one asset and custom label', async t => {
 });
 
 test.serial('Publish a release with missing release notes', async t => {
+  const owner = 'test_user';
+  const repo = 'test_repo';
+  const env = {GITLAB_TOKEN: 'gitlab_token'};
+  const pluginConfig = {};
+  const nextRelease = {gitHead: '123', name: 'v1.0.0', gitTag: 'v1.0.0'};
+  const options = {repositoryUrl: `https://gitlab.com/${owner}/${repo}.git`};
+  const encodedRepoId = encodeURIComponent(`${owner}/${repo}`);
+  const encodedGitTag = encodeURIComponent(nextRelease.gitTag);
+  const gitlab = authenticate(env)
+    .post(`/projects/${encodedRepoId}/releases`, {
+      name: nextRelease.name,
+      tag_name: nextRelease.gitTag,
+      description: nextRelease.gitTag,
+      assets: {
+        links: [],
+      },
+    })
+    .reply(200);
+
+  const result = await publish(pluginConfig, {env, options, nextRelease, logger: t.context.logger});
+
+  t.is(result.url, `https://gitlab.com/${encodedRepoId}/-/releases/${encodedGitTag}`);
+  t.deepEqual(t.context.log.args[0], ['Published GitLab release: %s', nextRelease.gitTag]);
+  t.true(gitlab.isDone());
+});
+
+test.serial('Publish a release with missing name', async t => {
   const owner = 'test_user';
   const repo = 'test_repo';
   const env = {GITLAB_TOKEN: 'gitlab_token'};
@@ -233,6 +264,7 @@ test.serial('Publish a release with missing release notes', async t => {
   const encodedGitTag = encodeURIComponent(nextRelease.gitTag);
   const gitlab = authenticate(env)
     .post(`/projects/${encodedRepoId}/releases`, {
+      name: nextRelease.name || nextRelease.gitTag,
       tag_name: nextRelease.gitTag,
       description: nextRelease.gitTag,
       assets: {