diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/ExposedFields.java b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/ExposedFields.java
index 4a5d7610b..ab07a506c 100644
--- a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/ExposedFields.java
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/ExposedFields.java
@@ -259,6 +259,15 @@ public class ExposedFields implements Iterable<ExposedField> {
 			return field.getTarget();
 		}
 
+		/*
+		 * (non-Javadoc)
+		 * @see org.springframework.data.mongodb.core.aggregation.Field#isAliased()
+		 */
+		@Override
+		public boolean isAliased() {
+			return field.isAliased();
+		}
+
 		/**
 		 * Returns whether the field can be referred to using the given name.
 		 * 
diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/Field.java b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/Field.java
index 76a01f1af..4ac7f5b18 100644
--- a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/Field.java
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/Field.java
@@ -36,4 +36,11 @@ public interface Field {
 	 * @return must not be {@literal null}.
 	 */
 	String getTarget();
+
+	/**
+	 * Returns whether the Field is aliased, which means it has a name set different from the target.
+	 * 
+	 * @return
+	 */
+	boolean isAliased();
 }
diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/Fields.java b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/Fields.java
index 050d6be60..383b3e3a5 100644
--- a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/Fields.java
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/Fields.java
@@ -224,6 +224,15 @@ public class Fields implements Iterable<Field> {
 			return StringUtils.hasText(this.target) ? this.target : this.name;
 		}
 
+		/*
+		 * (non-Javadoc)
+		 * @see org.springframework.data.mongodb.core.aggregation.Field#isAliased()
+		 */
+		@Override
+		public boolean isAliased() {
+			return !getName().equals(getTarget());
+		}
+
 		/* 
 		 * (non-Javadoc)
 		 * @see java.lang.Object#toString()
diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/ProjectionOperation.java b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/ProjectionOperation.java
index d029a45a7..5ebb27b32 100644
--- a/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/ProjectionOperation.java
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/main/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/ProjectionOperation.java
@@ -507,15 +507,8 @@ public class ProjectionOperation implements FieldsExposingAggregationOperation {
 
 					// check whether referenced field exists in the context
 					FieldReference reference = context.getReference(field.getTarget());
+					return reference.isSynthetic() && !field.isAliased() ? 1 : reference.toString();
 
-					if (field.getName().equals(field.getTarget()) && reference.isSynthetic()) {
-
-						// render field as included
-						return 1;
-					}
-
-					// render field reference
-					return reference.toString();
 				} else if (Boolean.FALSE.equals(value)) {
 
 					// render field as excluded
diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/AggregationUnitTests.java b/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/AggregationUnitTests.java
index 4951c246b..cd1066b1c 100644
--- a/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/AggregationUnitTests.java
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/AggregationUnitTests.java
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ public class AggregationUnitTests {
 		@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")
 		DBObject secondProjection = ((List<DBObject>) agg.get("pipeline")).get(2);
 		DBObject fields = DBObjectUtils.getAsDBObject(secondProjection, "$project");
-		assertThat((Integer) fields.get("aCnt"), is(1));
-		assertThat((String) fields.get("a"), is("$_id.a"));
+		assertThat(fields.get("aCnt"), is((Object) 1));
+		assertThat(fields.get("a"), is((Object) "$_id.a"));
 	}
 }
diff --git a/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/ProjectionOperationUnitTests.java b/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/ProjectionOperationUnitTests.java
index 44944c99e..55b6a8a2d 100644
--- a/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/ProjectionOperationUnitTests.java
+++ b/spring-data-mongodb/src/test/java/org/springframework/data/mongodb/core/aggregation/ProjectionOperationUnitTests.java
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@ public class ProjectionOperationUnitTests {
 		DBObject dbObject = operation.toDBObject(Aggregation.DEFAULT_CONTEXT);
 		DBObject projectClause = DBObjectUtils.getAsDBObject(dbObject, PROJECT);
 
-		assertThat((Integer) projectClause.get("foo"), is(1));
+		assertThat(projectClause.get("foo"), is((Object) 1));
 		assertThat(projectClause.get("bar"), is((Object) "$foobar"));
 	}