diff --git a/client/container_rename.go b/client/container_rename.go
index 6ce1500080..7c6d515b39 100644
--- a/client/container_rename.go
+++ b/client/container_rename.go
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ package client
 import (
 	"context"
 	"net/url"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/containerd/errdefs"
 )
 
 // ContainerRenameOptions represents the options for renaming a container.
@@ -21,6 +24,12 @@ func (cli *Client) ContainerRename(ctx context.Context, containerID string, opti
 	if err != nil {
 		return ContainerRenameResult{}, err
 	}
+	options.NewName = strings.TrimSpace(options.NewName)
+	if options.NewName == "" || strings.TrimPrefix(options.NewName, "/") == "" {
+		// daemons before v29.0 did not handle the canonical name ("/") well
+		// let's be nice and validate it here before sending
+		return ContainerRenameResult{}, errdefs.ErrInvalidArgument.WithMessage("new name cannot be blank")
+	}
 
 	query := url.Values{}
 	query.Set("name", options.NewName)
diff --git a/daemon/rename.go b/daemon/rename.go
index b724fb698f..a06b7b8cca 100644
--- a/daemon/rename.go
+++ b/daemon/rename.go
@@ -18,7 +18,9 @@ import (
 // to find the container. An error is returned if newName is already
 // reserved.
 func (daemon *Daemon) ContainerRename(oldName, newName string) (retErr error) {
-	if oldName == "" || newName == "" {
+	oldName = strings.TrimSpace(oldName)
+	newName = strings.TrimSpace(newName)
+	if strings.TrimPrefix(oldName, "/") == "" || strings.TrimPrefix(newName, "/") == "" {
 		return errdefs.InvalidParameter(errors.New("Neither old nor new names may be empty"))
 	}
 
diff --git a/vendor/github.com/moby/moby/client/container_rename.go b/vendor/github.com/moby/moby/client/container_rename.go
index 6ce1500080..7c6d515b39 100644
--- a/vendor/github.com/moby/moby/client/container_rename.go
+++ b/vendor/github.com/moby/moby/client/container_rename.go
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ package client
 import (
 	"context"
 	"net/url"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/containerd/errdefs"
 )
 
 // ContainerRenameOptions represents the options for renaming a container.
@@ -21,6 +24,12 @@ func (cli *Client) ContainerRename(ctx context.Context, containerID string, opti
 	if err != nil {
 		return ContainerRenameResult{}, err
 	}
+	options.NewName = strings.TrimSpace(options.NewName)
+	if options.NewName == "" || strings.TrimPrefix(options.NewName, "/") == "" {
+		// daemons before v29.0 did not handle the canonical name ("/") well
+		// let's be nice and validate it here before sending
+		return ContainerRenameResult{}, errdefs.ErrInvalidArgument.WithMessage("new name cannot be blank")
+	}
 
 	query := url.Values{}
 	query.Set("name", options.NewName)