diff --git a/builtin-merge.c b/builtin-merge.c
index 82b546689c..f7db14846e 100644
--- a/builtin-merge.c
+++ b/builtin-merge.c
@@ -358,6 +358,7 @@ static void merge_name(const char *remote, struct strbuf *msg)
 	struct strbuf buf = STRBUF_INIT;
 	struct strbuf bname = STRBUF_INIT;
 	const char *ptr;
+	char *found_ref;
 	int len, early;
 
 	strbuf_branchname(&bname, remote);
@@ -368,14 +369,12 @@ static void merge_name(const char *remote, struct strbuf *msg)
 	if (!remote_head)
 		die("'%s' does not point to a commit", remote);
 
-	strbuf_addstr(&buf, "refs/heads/");
-	strbuf_addstr(&buf, remote);
-	resolve_ref(buf.buf, branch_head, 0, NULL);
-
-	if (!hashcmp(remote_head->sha1, branch_head)) {
-		strbuf_addf(msg, "%s\t\tbranch '%s' of .\n",
-			sha1_to_hex(branch_head), remote);
-		goto cleanup;
+	if (dwim_ref(remote, strlen(remote), branch_head, &found_ref) > 0) {
+		if (!prefixcmp(found_ref, "refs/heads/")) {
+			strbuf_addf(msg, "%s\t\tbranch '%s' of .\n",
+				    sha1_to_hex(branch_head), remote);
+			goto cleanup;
+		}
 	}
 
 	/* See if remote matches <name>^^^.. or <name>~<number> */
diff --git a/t/t4202-log.sh b/t/t4202-log.sh
index 48e0088b47..1e952ca55b 100755
--- a/t/t4202-log.sh
+++ b/t/t4202-log.sh
@@ -320,11 +320,11 @@ test_expect_success 'set up more tangled history' '
 '
 
 cat > expect <<\EOF
-*   Merge branch 'reach'
+*   Merge commit 'reach'
 |\
 | \
 |  \
-*-. \   Merge branches 'octopus-a' and 'octopus-b'
+*-. \   Merge commit 'octopus-a'; commit 'octopus-b'
 |\ \ \
 * | | | seventh
 | | * | octopus-b
diff --git a/t/t7608-merge-messages.sh b/t/t7608-merge-messages.sh
index 9d10583916..81ced8ac3c 100755
--- a/t/t7608-merge-messages.sh
+++ b/t/t7608-merge-messages.sh
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ test_expect_success 'merge tag' '
 	check_oneline "Merge commit Qtag-1Q"
 '
 
-test_expect_failure 'ambiguous tag' '
+test_expect_success 'ambiguous tag' '
 	git checkout -b ambiguous master &&
 	test_commit ambiguous &&
 	git checkout master &&