diff --git a/include/cantera/thermo/Phase.h b/include/cantera/thermo/Phase.h
index d6f3a678121..a6427b108ab 100644
--- a/include/cantera/thermo/Phase.h
+++ b/include/cantera/thermo/Phase.h
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@
  */
 
 // This file is part of Cantera. See License.txt in the top-level directory or
-// at http://www.cantera.org/license.txt for license and copyright information.
+// at https://cantera.org/license.txt for license and copyright information.
 
 #ifndef CT_PHASE_H
 #define CT_PHASE_H
@@ -29,6 +29,8 @@ namespace Cantera
  * support thermodynamic calculations (see \ref thermoprops).
  */
 
+class SolutionBase;
+
 //! Class Phase is the base class for phases of matter, managing the species and
 //! elements in a phase, as well as the independent variables of temperature,
 //! mass density, species mass/mole fraction, and other generalized forces and
@@ -747,6 +749,11 @@ class Phase
     //! change in state is detected
     virtual void invalidateCache();
 
+    //! Set root SolutionBase holding all phase information
+    virtual void setRoot(std::shared_ptr<SolutionBase> root) {
+        m_root = root;
+    }
+
 protected:
     //! Cached for saved calculations within each ThermoPhase.
     /*!
@@ -848,6 +855,9 @@ class Phase
 
     //! Entropy at 298.15 K and 1 bar of stable state pure elements (J kmol-1)
     vector_fp m_entropy298;
+
+    //! reference to SolutionBase
+    std::weak_ptr<SolutionBase> m_root;
 };
 
 }
diff --git a/include/cantera/thermo/ThermoPhase.h b/include/cantera/thermo/ThermoPhase.h
index 2b21ce6e1d4..a1b6da7a69d 100644
--- a/include/cantera/thermo/ThermoPhase.h
+++ b/include/cantera/thermo/ThermoPhase.h
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@
  */
 
 // This file is part of Cantera. See License.txt in the top-level directory or
-// at https://cantera.org/license.txt for license and copyright information.
+// at http://www.cantera.org/license.txt for license and copyright information.
 
 #ifndef CT_THERMOPHASE_H
 #define CT_THERMOPHASE_H
@@ -40,8 +40,6 @@ const int cSS_CONVENTION_VPSS = 1;
 const int cSS_CONVENTION_SLAVE = 2;
 //@}
 
-class SolutionBase;
-
 //! Base class for a phase with thermodynamic properties.
 /*!
  * Class ThermoPhase is the base class for the family of classes that represent
@@ -1618,11 +1616,6 @@ class ThermoPhase : public Phase
 
     //@}
 
-    //! Set root SolutionBase holding all phase information
-    virtual void setRoot(std::shared_ptr<SolutionBase> root) {
-        m_root = root;
-    }
-
 protected:
     //! Fills `names` and `data` with the column names and species thermo
     //! properties to be included in the output of the reportCSV method.
@@ -1667,9 +1660,6 @@ class ThermoPhase : public Phase
 
     //! last value of the temperature processed by reference state
     mutable doublereal m_tlast;
-
-    //! reference to SolutionBase
-    std::weak_ptr<SolutionBase> m_root;
 };
 
 //! typedef for the ThermoPhase class
diff --git a/interfaces/cython/cantera/_cantera.pxd b/interfaces/cython/cantera/_cantera.pxd
index e9c25a7b563..84a6241e92f 100644
--- a/interfaces/cython/cantera/_cantera.pxd
+++ b/interfaces/cython/cantera/_cantera.pxd
@@ -941,8 +941,8 @@ cdef class GasTransportData:
     cdef _assign(self, shared_ptr[CxxTransportData] other)
 
 cdef class _SolutionBase:
-    cdef CxxSolutionBase* base
     cdef shared_ptr[CxxSolutionBase] _base
+    cdef CxxSolutionBase* base
     cdef shared_ptr[CxxThermoPhase] _thermo
     cdef CxxThermoPhase* thermo
     cdef shared_ptr[CxxKinetics] _kinetics
diff --git a/interfaces/cython/cantera/base.pyx b/interfaces/cython/cantera/base.pyx
index 4bb8dcb57ff..7a271593895 100644
--- a/interfaces/cython/cantera/base.pyx
+++ b/interfaces/cython/cantera/base.pyx
@@ -60,22 +60,28 @@ cdef class _SolutionBase:
         else:
             raise ValueError('Missing required keyword `base_type`.')
 
-        phasename = pystr(self.thermo.name())
+        phase_name = pystr(self.thermo.id())
         name = kwargs.get('name', None)
         if name is not None:
-            self.unique_name = name
+            self.name = name
+        elif phase_name in _phase_counts:
+            _phase_counts[phase_name] += 1
+            n = _phase_counts[phase_name]
+            self.name = '{0}_{1}'.format(phase_name, n)
         else:
-            _phase_counts[phasename] += 1
-            n = _phase_counts[phasename]
-            self.unique_name = '{0}_{1}'.format(phasename, n)
+            _phase_counts[phase_name] = 0
+            self.name = phase_name
 
     property type:
         """The type of the SolutionBase object."""
         def __get__(self):
             return pystr(self.base.type())
 
-    property unique_name:
-        """The unique name of the SolutionBase object."""
+    property name:
+        """
+        The name assigned to this SolutionBase object. The default is
+        taken from the CTI/XML/YAML input file.
+        """
         def __get__(self):
             return pystr(self.base.name())
 
diff --git a/interfaces/cython/cantera/test/test_mixture.py b/interfaces/cython/cantera/test/test_mixture.py
index 42f882bb404..b96107ee1f3 100644
--- a/interfaces/cython/cantera/test/test_mixture.py
+++ b/interfaces/cython/cantera/test/test_mixture.py
@@ -112,10 +112,11 @@ def test_charge(self):
 
     def test_phase_moles(self):
         M = self.mix.phase_moles()
+        name = self.phase2.name
         self.assertEqual(M[0], self.mix.phase_moles(0))
-        self.assertEqual(M[1], self.mix.phase_moles('air'))
+        self.assertEqual(M[1], self.mix.phase_moles(name))
 
-        self.mix.set_phase_moles('air', 4)
+        self.mix.set_phase_moles(name, 4)
         self.assertEqual(self.mix.phase_moles(1), 4)
 
     def test_species_moles(self):
diff --git a/interfaces/cython/cantera/test/test_thermo.py b/interfaces/cython/cantera/test/test_thermo.py
index ca315513a46..45b8c4b4d04 100644
--- a/interfaces/cython/cantera/test/test_thermo.py
+++ b/interfaces/cython/cantera/test/test_thermo.py
@@ -15,9 +15,9 @@ def setUp(self):
     def test_cpp_attributes(self):
         self.assertTrue(isinstance(self.phase.type, str))
         self.assertTrue(self.phase.type=='Solution')
-        self.assertTrue(isinstance(self.phase.unique_name, str))
-        self.phase.unique_name = 'spam'
-        self.assertTrue(self.phase.unique_name=='spam')
+        self.assertTrue(isinstance(self.phase.name, str))
+        self.phase.name = 'spam'
+        self.assertTrue(self.phase.name=='spam')
         with self.assertRaises(AttributeError):
             self.phase.type = 'eggs'
 
@@ -308,18 +308,14 @@ def test_default_report(self):
             self.assertNotIn(name, report)
 
     def test_name(self):
-        self.assertEqual(self.phase.name, 'ohmech')
-
         self.phase.name = 'something'
         self.assertEqual(self.phase.name, 'something')
         self.assertIn('something', self.phase.report())
 
     def test_ID(self):
         self.assertEqual(self.phase.ID, 'ohmech')
-
         self.phase.ID = 'something'
         self.assertEqual(self.phase.ID, 'something')
-        self.assertEqual(self.phase.name, 'ohmech')
 
     def test_badLength(self):
         X = np.zeros(5)
@@ -854,7 +850,7 @@ class ImportTest(utilities.CanteraTest):
     Test the various ways of creating a Solution object
     """
     def check(self, gas, name, T, P, nSpec, nElem):
-        self.assertEqual(gas.name, name)
+        self.assertEqual(gas.ID, name)
         self.assertNear(gas.T, T)
         self.assertNear(gas.P, P)
         self.assertEqual(gas.n_species, nSpec)
diff --git a/interfaces/cython/cantera/thermo.pyx b/interfaces/cython/cantera/thermo.pyx
index 2513ac27502..c21bdc59a65 100644
--- a/interfaces/cython/cantera/thermo.pyx
+++ b/interfaces/cython/cantera/thermo.pyx
@@ -284,16 +284,6 @@ cdef class ThermoPhase(_SolutionBase):
     def __call__(self, *args, **kwargs):
         print(self.report(*args, **kwargs))
 
-    property name:
-        """
-        The name assigned to this phase. The default is taken from the CTI/XML
-        input file.
-        """
-        def __get__(self):
-            return pystr(self.thermo.name())
-        def __set__(self, name):
-            self.thermo.setName(stringify(name))
-
     property ID:
         """
         The ID of the phase. The default is taken from the CTI/XML input file.
@@ -303,7 +293,6 @@ cdef class ThermoPhase(_SolutionBase):
         def __set__(self, id_):
             self.thermo.setID(stringify(id_))
 
-
     property basis:
         """
         Determines whether intensive thermodynamic properties are treated on a
diff --git a/src/thermo/Phase.cpp b/src/thermo/Phase.cpp
index 880bdfae9b1..6f2e78732c3 100644
--- a/src/thermo/Phase.cpp
+++ b/src/thermo/Phase.cpp
@@ -4,12 +4,13 @@
  */
 
 // This file is part of Cantera. See License.txt in the top-level directory or
-// at http://www.cantera.org/license.txt for license and copyright information.
+// at https://cantera.org/license.txt for license and copyright information.
 
 #include "cantera/thermo/Phase.h"
 #include "cantera/base/utilities.h"
 #include "cantera/base/stringUtils.h"
 #include "cantera/base/ctml.h"
+#include "cantera/base/Base.h"
 #include "cantera/thermo/ThermoFactory.h"
 
 using namespace std;
@@ -77,12 +78,22 @@ void Phase::setID(const std::string& id_)
 
 std::string Phase::name() const
 {
-    return m_name;
+    if (m_root.expired()) {
+        return m_name;
+    } else {
+        auto root = m_root.lock();
+        return root->name();
+    }
 }
 
 void Phase::setName(const std::string& nm)
 {
-    m_name = nm;
+    if (m_root.expired()) {
+        m_name = nm;
+    } else {
+        auto root = m_root.lock();
+        root->setName(nm);
+    }
 }
 
 size_t Phase::nElements() const
diff --git a/src/thermo/ThermoFactory.cpp b/src/thermo/ThermoFactory.cpp
index 0f634757997..ce36b7b1bb1 100644
--- a/src/thermo/ThermoFactory.cpp
+++ b/src/thermo/ThermoFactory.cpp
@@ -448,6 +448,7 @@ void addSpecies(ThermoPhase& thermo, const AnyValue& names, const AnyValue& spec
 void setupPhase(ThermoPhase& thermo, AnyMap& phaseNode, const AnyMap& rootNode)
 {
     thermo.setName(phaseNode["name"].asString());
+    thermo.setID(phaseNode["name"].asString());
     if (rootNode.hasKey("__file__")) {
         phaseNode["__file__"] = rootNode["__file__"];
     }