diff --git a/spring-integration-http/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/http/config/HttpInboundEndpointParser.java b/spring-integration-http/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/http/config/HttpInboundEndpointParser.java
index 762d62284e..8a648d0816 100644
--- a/spring-integration-http/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/http/config/HttpInboundEndpointParser.java
+++ b/spring-integration-http/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/http/config/HttpInboundEndpointParser.java
@@ -16,13 +16,12 @@
 
 package org.springframework.integration.http.config;
 
-import java.util.HashMap;
 import java.util.List;
-import java.util.Map;
 
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.BeanDefinitionStoreException;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.AbstractBeanDefinition;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.BeanDefinitionBuilder;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.BeanDefinitionReaderUtils;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.ManagedMap;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.support.RootBeanDefinition;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.xml.AbstractSingleBeanDefinitionParser;
@@ -32,7 +31,6 @@ import org.springframework.integration.config.xml.IntegrationNamespaceUtils;
 import org.springframework.util.CollectionUtils;
 import org.springframework.util.StringUtils;
 import org.springframework.util.xml.DomUtils;
-
 import org.w3c.dom.Element;
 
 /**
@@ -69,8 +67,9 @@ public class HttpInboundEndpointParser extends AbstractSingleBeanDefinitionParse
 			id = element.getAttribute("name");
 		}
 		if (!StringUtils.hasText(id)) {
-			parserContext.getReaderContext().error("The 'id' or 'name' is required.", element);
+			id = BeanDefinitionReaderUtils.generateBeanName(definition, parserContext.getRegistry());
 		}
+		
 		return id;
 	}
 
@@ -96,8 +95,8 @@ public class HttpInboundEndpointParser extends AbstractSingleBeanDefinitionParse
 		}
 		
 		List<Element> headerElements = DomUtils.getChildElementsByTagName(element, "header");
+		
 		if (!CollectionUtils.isEmpty(headerElements)) {
-
 			ManagedMap<String, Object> headerElementsMap = new ManagedMap<String, Object>();
 			for (Element headerElement : headerElements) {
 				String name = headerElement.getAttribute("name");
diff --git a/spring-integration-http/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/http/inbound/HttpRequestHandlingEndpointSupport.java b/spring-integration-http/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/http/inbound/HttpRequestHandlingEndpointSupport.java
index fdb1a9dab7..e88d8a7317 100644
--- a/spring-integration-http/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/http/inbound/HttpRequestHandlingEndpointSupport.java
+++ b/spring-integration-http/src/main/java/org/springframework/integration/http/inbound/HttpRequestHandlingEndpointSupport.java
@@ -285,7 +285,7 @@ abstract class HttpRequestHandlingEndpointSupport extends MessagingGatewaySuppor
 			}
 			Map uriVariableMappings = null;
 			//
-			StandardEvaluationContext evaluationContext = this.getEvaluationContext();
+			StandardEvaluationContext evaluationContext = this.prepareAndGetEvaluationContext();
 			
             if (StringUtils.hasText(this.path)){
                 UriTemplate template = new UriTemplate(this.path);
@@ -295,8 +295,7 @@ abstract class HttpRequestHandlingEndpointSupport extends MessagingGatewaySuppor
                         logger.debug("Mapped URI variables: " + uriVariableMappings);
                     }
   
-                	// set the whole map
-                	
+                	// set the whole map       	
 	                evaluationContext.setVariable("uriVariables", uriVariableMappings);
 	                for (Object key : uriVariableMappings.keySet()) {
 	                	// add individual elements
@@ -454,7 +453,7 @@ abstract class HttpRequestHandlingEndpointSupport extends MessagingGatewaySuppor
 		return httpStatus;
 	}
 	
-	private StandardEvaluationContext getEvaluationContext(){
+	private StandardEvaluationContext prepareAndGetEvaluationContext(){
 		StandardEvaluationContext evaluationContext = new StandardEvaluationContext();
 		evaluationContext.addPropertyAccessor(new MapAccessor());
 		BeanFactory beanFactory = this.getBeanFactory();
diff --git a/spring-integration-http/src/main/resources/org/springframework/integration/http/config/spring-integration-http-2.1.xsd b/spring-integration-http/src/main/resources/org/springframework/integration/http/config/spring-integration-http-2.1.xsd
index d07ee90c78..a39372fd6d 100644
--- a/spring-integration-http/src/main/resources/org/springframework/integration/http/config/spring-integration-http-2.1.xsd
+++ b/spring-integration-http/src/main/resources/org/springframework/integration/http/config/spring-integration-http-2.1.xsd
@@ -24,7 +24,14 @@
 				<xsd:element name="header" type="headerType" minOccurs="0" maxOccurs="unbounded" />
 			</xsd:sequence>
 			<xsd:attribute name="id" type="xsd:string" />
-			<xsd:attribute name="name" type="xsd:string" />
+			<xsd:attribute name="name" type="xsd:string">
+				<xsd:annotation>
+					<xsd:documentation>
+						[DEPRECATED since v2.1] Use 'path' attribute if you want to specify the path or 
+						'id' attribute if you simply want to identify this component
+					</xsd:documentation>
+				</xsd:annotation>
+			</xsd:attribute>
 			<xsd:attribute name="channel" type="xsd:string" use="required">
 				<xsd:annotation>
 					<xsd:appinfo>
diff --git a/spring-integration-http/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/http/config/HttpInboundChannelAdapterParserTests-context.xml b/spring-integration-http/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/http/config/HttpInboundChannelAdapterParserTests-context.xml
index d83435343d..e00725864f 100644
--- a/spring-integration-http/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/http/config/HttpInboundChannelAdapterParserTests-context.xml
+++ b/spring-integration-http/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/http/config/HttpInboundChannelAdapterParserTests-context.xml
@@ -34,5 +34,20 @@
 							 payload-expression="#f">
 		<header name="lname" expression="#l"/>
 	</inbound-channel-adapter>
+	
+	<inbound-channel-adapter name="/fname/{blah}/lname/{boo}" 
+	                         path="/fname/{f}/lname/{l}"
+	                         channel="requests"
+							 mapped-request-headers="foo,bar"
+							 payload-expression="#f">
+		<header name="lname" expression="#l"/>
+	</inbound-channel-adapter>
+	
+	<inbound-channel-adapter name="/fname/{f}/lname/{l}" 
+	                         channel="requests"
+							 mapped-request-headers="foo,bar"
+							 payload-expression="#f">
+		<header name="lname" expression="#l"/>
+	</inbound-channel-adapter>
 
 </beans:beans>
diff --git a/spring-integration-http/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/http/config/HttpInboundChannelAdapterParserTests.java b/spring-integration-http/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/http/config/HttpInboundChannelAdapterParserTests.java
index 6a8aa31e59..12035744ac 100644
--- a/spring-integration-http/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/http/config/HttpInboundChannelAdapterParserTests.java
+++ b/spring-integration-http/src/test/java/org/springframework/integration/http/config/HttpInboundChannelAdapterParserTests.java
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ import org.junit.runner.RunWith;
 
 import org.springframework.beans.DirectFieldAccessor;
 import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Autowired;
+import org.springframework.beans.factory.annotation.Qualifier;
 import org.springframework.http.HttpHeaders;
 import org.springframework.http.HttpMethod;
 import org.springframework.integration.Message;
@@ -75,7 +76,15 @@ public class HttpInboundChannelAdapterParserTests {
 	
 	@Autowired
 	private HttpRequestHandlingMessagingGateway inboundAdapterWithExpressions;
-
+	
+	@Autowired
+	@Qualifier("/fname/{blah}/lname/{boo}")
+	private HttpRequestHandlingMessagingGateway inboundAdapterWithNameAndExpressions;
+	
+	@Autowired
+	@Qualifier("/fname/{f}/lname/{l}")
+	private HttpRequestHandlingMessagingGateway inboundAdapterWithNameNoPath;
+	
 	@Autowired
 	private HttpRequestHandlingController inboundController;
 
@@ -118,7 +127,7 @@ public class HttpInboundChannelAdapterParserTests {
 	}
 	
 	@Test
-	@SuppressWarnings("unchecked")// INT-1677
+	// INT-1677
 	public void withExpressions() throws Exception {
 		MockHttpServletRequest request = new MockHttpServletRequest();
 		request.setMethod("POST");
@@ -137,6 +146,49 @@ public class HttpInboundChannelAdapterParserTests {
 		assertEquals("bill", payload);
 		assertEquals("clinton", message.getHeaders().get("lname"));
 	}
+	@Test // ensure that 'path' takes priority over name
+	// INT-1677
+	public void withNameAndExpressionsAndPath() throws Exception {
+		MockHttpServletRequest request = new MockHttpServletRequest();
+		request.setMethod("POST");
+		request.setContentType("text/plain");
+		request.setParameter("foo", "bar");
+		request.setContent("hello".getBytes());
+		request.setRequestURI("/fname/bill/lname/clinton");
+		
+		MockHttpServletResponse response = new MockHttpServletResponse();
+		inboundAdapterWithNameAndExpressions.handleRequest(request, response);
+		assertEquals(HttpServletResponse.SC_OK, response.getStatus());
+		Message<?> message = requests.receive(0);
+		assertNotNull(message);
+		Object payload = message.getPayload();
+		assertTrue(payload instanceof String);
+		assertEquals("bill", payload);
+		assertEquals("clinton", message.getHeaders().get("lname"));
+	}
+	
+	@Test 
+	// INT-1677
+	public void withNameAndExpressionsNoPath() throws Exception {
+		MockHttpServletRequest request = new MockHttpServletRequest();
+		request.setMethod("POST");
+		request.setContentType("text/plain");
+		request.setParameter("foo", "bar");
+		request.setContent("hello".getBytes());
+		request.setRequestURI("/fname/bill/lname/clinton");
+		
+		MockHttpServletResponse response = new MockHttpServletResponse();
+		inboundAdapterWithNameNoPath.handleRequest(request, response);
+		assertEquals(HttpServletResponse.SC_OK, response.getStatus());
+		Message<?> message = requests.receive(0);
+		assertNotNull(message);
+		Object payload = message.getPayload();
+		assertTrue(payload instanceof String);
+		assertEquals("hello", payload); // default payload
+		assertNull(message.getHeaders().get("lname"));
+	}
+	
+	
 
 	@Test
 	public void getRequestNotAllowed() throws Exception {