diff --git a/fs/fs-writeback.c b/fs/fs-writeback.c
index f978ae2bb846f..2de656ecc48bb 100644
--- a/fs/fs-writeback.c
+++ b/fs/fs-writeback.c
@@ -1971,7 +1971,7 @@ void wb_workfn(struct work_struct *work)
 						struct bdi_writeback, dwork);
 	long pages_written;
 
-	set_worker_desc("flush-%s", dev_name(wb->bdi->dev));
+	set_worker_desc("flush-%s", bdi_dev_name(wb->bdi));
 	current->flags |= PF_SWAPWRITE;
 
 	if (likely(!current_is_workqueue_rescuer() ||
diff --git a/include/linux/backing-dev.h b/include/linux/backing-dev.h
index 63f17b106a4a6..57db558c9a616 100644
--- a/include/linux/backing-dev.h
+++ b/include/linux/backing-dev.h
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
 #include <linux/fs.h>
 #include <linux/sched.h>
 #include <linux/blkdev.h>
+#include <linux/device.h>
 #include <linux/writeback.h>
 #include <linux/blk-cgroup.h>
 #include <linux/backing-dev-defs.h>
@@ -517,4 +518,13 @@ static inline int bdi_rw_congested(struct backing_dev_info *bdi)
 				  (1 << WB_async_congested));
 }
 
+extern const char *bdi_unknown_name;
+
+static inline const char *bdi_dev_name(struct backing_dev_info *bdi)
+{
+	if (!bdi || !bdi->dev)
+		return bdi_unknown_name;
+	return dev_name(bdi->dev);
+}
+
 #endif	/* _LINUX_BACKING_DEV_H */
diff --git a/include/trace/events/writeback.h b/include/trace/events/writeback.h
index c6cea40e6e6fc..49a72adc7135c 100644
--- a/include/trace/events/writeback.h
+++ b/include/trace/events/writeback.h
@@ -66,8 +66,8 @@ TRACE_EVENT(writeback_dirty_page,
 
 	TP_fast_assign(
 		strscpy_pad(__entry->name,
-			    mapping ? dev_name(inode_to_bdi(mapping->host)->dev) : "(unknown)",
-			    32);
+			    bdi_dev_name(mapping ? inode_to_bdi(mapping->host) :
+					 NULL), 32);
 		__entry->ino = mapping ? mapping->host->i_ino : 0;
 		__entry->index = page->index;
 	),
@@ -96,8 +96,7 @@ DECLARE_EVENT_CLASS(writeback_dirty_inode_template,
 		struct backing_dev_info *bdi = inode_to_bdi(inode);
 
 		/* may be called for files on pseudo FSes w/ unregistered bdi */
-		strscpy_pad(__entry->name,
-			    bdi->dev ? dev_name(bdi->dev) : "(unknown)", 32);
+		strscpy_pad(__entry->name, bdi_dev_name(bdi), 32);
 		__entry->ino		= inode->i_ino;
 		__entry->state		= inode->i_state;
 		__entry->flags		= flags;
@@ -177,7 +176,7 @@ DECLARE_EVENT_CLASS(writeback_write_inode_template,
 
 	TP_fast_assign(
 		strscpy_pad(__entry->name,
-			    dev_name(inode_to_bdi(inode)->dev), 32);
+			    bdi_dev_name(inode_to_bdi(inode)), 32);
 		__entry->ino		= inode->i_ino;
 		__entry->sync_mode	= wbc->sync_mode;
 		__entry->cgroup_ino	= __trace_wbc_assign_cgroup(wbc);
@@ -220,9 +219,7 @@ DECLARE_EVENT_CLASS(writeback_work_class,
 		__field(unsigned int, cgroup_ino)
 	),
 	TP_fast_assign(
-		strscpy_pad(__entry->name,
-			    wb->bdi->dev ? dev_name(wb->bdi->dev) :
-			    "(unknown)", 32);
+		strscpy_pad(__entry->name, bdi_dev_name(wb->bdi), 32);
 		__entry->nr_pages = work->nr_pages;
 		__entry->sb_dev = work->sb ? work->sb->s_dev : 0;
 		__entry->sync_mode = work->sync_mode;
@@ -275,7 +272,7 @@ DECLARE_EVENT_CLASS(writeback_class,
 		__field(unsigned int, cgroup_ino)
 	),
 	TP_fast_assign(
-		strscpy_pad(__entry->name, dev_name(wb->bdi->dev), 32);
+		strscpy_pad(__entry->name, bdi_dev_name(wb->bdi), 32);
 		__entry->cgroup_ino = __trace_wb_assign_cgroup(wb);
 	),
 	TP_printk("bdi %s: cgroup_ino=%u",
@@ -298,7 +295,7 @@ TRACE_EVENT(writeback_bdi_register,
 		__array(char, name, 32)
 	),
 	TP_fast_assign(
-		strscpy_pad(__entry->name, dev_name(bdi->dev), 32);
+		strscpy_pad(__entry->name, bdi_dev_name(bdi), 32);
 	),
 	TP_printk("bdi %s",
 		__entry->name
@@ -323,7 +320,7 @@ DECLARE_EVENT_CLASS(wbc_class,
 	),
 
 	TP_fast_assign(
-		strscpy_pad(__entry->name, dev_name(bdi->dev), 32);
+		strscpy_pad(__entry->name, bdi_dev_name(bdi), 32);
 		__entry->nr_to_write	= wbc->nr_to_write;
 		__entry->pages_skipped	= wbc->pages_skipped;
 		__entry->sync_mode	= wbc->sync_mode;
@@ -374,7 +371,7 @@ TRACE_EVENT(writeback_queue_io,
 		__field(unsigned int,	cgroup_ino)
 	),
 	TP_fast_assign(
-		strncpy_pad(__entry->name, dev_name(wb->bdi->dev), 32);
+		strscpy_pad(__entry->name, bdi_dev_name(wb->bdi), 32);
 		__entry->older	= dirtied_before;
 		__entry->age	= (jiffies - dirtied_before) * 1000 / HZ;
 		__entry->moved	= moved;
@@ -459,7 +456,7 @@ TRACE_EVENT(bdi_dirty_ratelimit,
 	),
 
 	TP_fast_assign(
-		strscpy_pad(__entry->bdi, dev_name(wb->bdi->dev), 32);
+		strscpy_pad(__entry->bdi, bdi_dev_name(wb->bdi), 32);
 		__entry->write_bw	= KBps(wb->write_bandwidth);
 		__entry->avg_write_bw	= KBps(wb->avg_write_bandwidth);
 		__entry->dirty_rate	= KBps(dirty_rate);
@@ -524,7 +521,7 @@ TRACE_EVENT(balance_dirty_pages,
 
 	TP_fast_assign(
 		unsigned long freerun = (thresh + bg_thresh) / 2;
-		strscpy_pad(__entry->bdi, dev_name(wb->bdi->dev), 32);
+		strscpy_pad(__entry->bdi, bdi_dev_name(wb->bdi), 32);
 
 		__entry->limit		= global_wb_domain.dirty_limit;
 		__entry->setpoint	= (global_wb_domain.dirty_limit +
@@ -585,7 +582,7 @@ TRACE_EVENT(writeback_sb_inodes_requeue,
 
 	TP_fast_assign(
 		strscpy_pad(__entry->name,
-			    dev_name(inode_to_bdi(inode)->dev), 32);
+			    bdi_dev_name(inode_to_bdi(inode)), 32);
 		__entry->ino		= inode->i_ino;
 		__entry->state		= inode->i_state;
 		__entry->dirtied_when	= inode->dirtied_when;
@@ -659,7 +656,7 @@ DECLARE_EVENT_CLASS(writeback_single_inode_template,
 
 	TP_fast_assign(
 		strscpy_pad(__entry->name,
-			    dev_name(inode_to_bdi(inode)->dev), 32);
+			    bdi_dev_name(inode_to_bdi(inode)), 32);
 		__entry->ino		= inode->i_ino;
 		__entry->state		= inode->i_state;
 		__entry->dirtied_when	= inode->dirtied_when;
diff --git a/mm/backing-dev.c b/mm/backing-dev.c
index 113b7d3170799..aad61d0175a1c 100644
--- a/mm/backing-dev.c
+++ b/mm/backing-dev.c
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ struct backing_dev_info noop_backing_dev_info = {
 EXPORT_SYMBOL_GPL(noop_backing_dev_info);
 
 static struct class *bdi_class;
+const char *bdi_unknown_name = "(unknown)";
 
 /*
  * bdi_lock protects updates to bdi_list. bdi_list has RCU reader side
