diff --git a/libjava/ChangeLog b/libjava/ChangeLog
index f3ab9636bda1..04307791bdee 100644
--- a/libjava/ChangeLog
+++ b/libjava/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,9 @@
+2003-08-07  Bryce McKinlay  <bryce@mckinlay.net.nz>
+
+	* java/lang/Thread.java (Thread): Check for null "name" from
+	start of private constructor, not after calling the private
+	constructor.
+
 2003-08-06  Tom Tromey  <tromey@redhat.com>
 
 	* java/io/FilePermission.java (equals): Use correct index for
diff --git a/libjava/java/lang/Thread.java b/libjava/java/lang/Thread.java
index 32f7d174580f..64498b23ba43 100644
--- a/libjava/java/lang/Thread.java
+++ b/libjava/java/lang/Thread.java
@@ -614,11 +614,6 @@ public class Thread implements Runnable
   public Thread (ThreadGroup g, Runnable r, String n)
   {
     this (currentThread (), g, r, n);
-
-    // The Class Libraries book says ``threadName cannot be null''.  I
-    // take this to mean NullPointerException.
-    if (n == null)
-      throw new NullPointerException ();
   }
 
   /**
@@ -645,15 +640,15 @@ public class Thread implements Runnable
   {
     // Just ignore stackSize for now.
     this (currentThread (), g, r, n);
-
-    // The Class Libraries book says ``threadName cannot be null''.  I
-    // take this to mean NullPointerException.
-    if (n == null)
-      throw new NullPointerException ();
   }
 
   private Thread (Thread current, ThreadGroup g, Runnable r, String n)
   {
+    // The Class Libraries book says ``threadName cannot be null''.  I
+    // take this to mean NullPointerException.
+    if (n == null)
+      throw new NullPointerException ();
+      
     if (g == null)
       {
 	// If CURRENT is null, then we are bootstrapping the first thread.