diff --git a/packages/core/src/tracing/span.ts b/packages/core/src/tracing/span.ts
index 1340ea3db55c..4301391ff1da 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/tracing/span.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/tracing/span.ts
@@ -152,6 +152,9 @@ export class Span implements SpanInterface {
     if (spanContext.description) {
       this.description = spanContext.description;
     }
+    if (spanContext.name) {
+      this.description = spanContext.name;
+    }
     if (spanContext.data) {
       this.data = spanContext.data;
     }
@@ -243,6 +246,13 @@ export class Span implements SpanInterface {
     return this;
   }
 
+  /**
+   * @inheritDoc
+   */
+  public setName(name: string): void {
+    this.description = name;
+  }
+
   /**
    * @inheritDoc
    */
diff --git a/packages/core/src/tracing/transaction.ts b/packages/core/src/tracing/transaction.ts
index 9a901df3d316..ee0a5724b9bf 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/tracing/transaction.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/tracing/transaction.ts
@@ -44,6 +44,9 @@ export class Transaction extends SpanClass implements TransactionInterface {
    */
   public constructor(transactionContext: TransactionContext, hub?: Hub) {
     super(transactionContext);
+    // We need to delete description since it's set by the Span class constructor
+    // but not needed for transactions.
+    delete this.description;
 
     this._measurements = {};
     this._contexts = {};
diff --git a/packages/sveltekit/test/server/handle.test.ts b/packages/sveltekit/test/server/handle.test.ts
index ffe1db0e9e75..eb0276b7f95d 100644
--- a/packages/sveltekit/test/server/handle.test.ts
+++ b/packages/sveltekit/test/server/handle.test.ts
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ describe('handleSentry', () => {
       expect(ref.spanRecorder.spans).toHaveLength(2);
       expect(ref.spanRecorder.spans).toEqual(
         expect.arrayContaining([
-          expect.objectContaining({ op: 'http.server', description: 'GET /users/[id]' }),
+          expect.objectContaining({ op: 'http.server', name: 'GET /users/[id]' }),
           expect.objectContaining({ op: 'http.server', description: 'GET api/users/details/[id]' }),
         ]),
       );
diff --git a/packages/tracing/test/span.test.ts b/packages/tracing/test/span.test.ts
index 1720dd4e6ec4..e6e35e105508 100644
--- a/packages/tracing/test/span.test.ts
+++ b/packages/tracing/test/span.test.ts
@@ -82,6 +82,13 @@ describe('Span', () => {
       span.setData('foo', true);
       expect(span.data.foo).toBe(true);
     });
+
+    test('setName', () => {
+      const span = new Span({});
+      expect(span.description).toBeUndefined();
+      span.setName('foo');
+      expect(span.description).toBe('foo');
+    });
   });
 
   describe('status', () => {
diff --git a/packages/types/src/span.ts b/packages/types/src/span.ts
index 756a6808910c..a689590c499e 100644
--- a/packages/types/src/span.ts
+++ b/packages/types/src/span.ts
@@ -9,6 +9,11 @@ export interface SpanContext {
    */
   description?: string;
 
+  /**
+   * Human-readable identifier for the span. Alias for span.description.
+   */
+  name?: string;
+
   /**
    * Operation of the Span.
    */
@@ -139,6 +144,11 @@ export interface Span extends SpanContext {
    */
   setHttpStatus(httpStatus: number): this;
 
+  /**
+   * Set the name of the span.
+   */
+  setName(name: string): void;
+
   /**
    * Creates a new `Span` while setting the current `Span.id` as `parentSpanId`.
    * Also the `sampled` decision will be inherited.
diff --git a/packages/types/src/transaction.ts b/packages/types/src/transaction.ts
index 42d266abbda7..3e1ad24d4669 100644
--- a/packages/types/src/transaction.ts
+++ b/packages/types/src/transaction.ts
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ export type TraceparentData = Pick<TransactionContext, 'traceId' | 'parentSpanId
 /**
  * Transaction "Class", inherits Span only has `setName`
  */
-export interface Transaction extends TransactionContext, Span {
+export interface Transaction extends TransactionContext, Omit<Span, 'setName' | 'name'> {
   /**
    * @inheritDoc
    */