diff --git a/src/surfMesh/surfaceFormats/starcd/STARCDsurfaceFormat.C b/src/surfMesh/surfaceFormats/starcd/STARCDsurfaceFormat.C
index 2f8f48ccd5..a2ba355502 100644
--- a/src/surfMesh/surfaceFormats/starcd/STARCDsurfaceFormat.C
+++ b/src/surfMesh/surfaceFormats/starcd/STARCDsurfaceFormat.C
@@ -85,6 +85,18 @@ bool Foam::fileFormats::STARCDsurfaceFormat<Face>::read
 
     fileName baseName = filename.lessExt();
 
+    // read cellTable names (if possible)
+    Map<word> cellTableLookup;
+
+    {
+        IFstream is(baseName + ".inp");
+        if (is.good())
+        {
+            cellTableLookup = readInpCellTable(is);
+        }
+    }
+
+
     // STAR-CD index of points
     List<label> pointId;
 
@@ -171,7 +183,22 @@ bool Foam::fileFormats::STARCDsurfaceFormat<Face>::read
             {
                 zoneI = dynSizes.size();
                 lookup.insert(cellTableId, zoneI);
-                dynNames.append(word("cellTable_") + ::Foam::name(zoneI));
+
+                Map<word>::const_iterator tableNameIter =
+                    cellTableLookup.find(cellTableId);
+
+                if (tableNameIter == cellTableLookup.end())
+                {
+                    dynNames.append
+                    (
+                        word("cellTable_") + ::Foam::name(cellTableId)
+                    );
+                }
+                else
+                {
+                    dynNames.append(tableNameIter());
+                }
+
                 dynSizes.append(0);
             }
 
diff --git a/src/surfMesh/surfaceFormats/starcd/STARCDsurfaceFormatCore.C b/src/surfMesh/surfaceFormats/starcd/STARCDsurfaceFormatCore.C
index 5777dcb73c..931088ea33 100644
--- a/src/surfMesh/surfaceFormats/starcd/STARCDsurfaceFormatCore.C
+++ b/src/surfMesh/surfaceFormats/starcd/STARCDsurfaceFormatCore.C
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ License
 
 #include "STARCDsurfaceFormatCore.H"
 #include "clock.H"
+#include "regExp.H"
 #include "IStringStream.H"
 
 // * * * * * * * * * * * * * Private Member Functions  * * * * * * * * * * * //
@@ -87,6 +88,50 @@ void Foam::fileFormats::STARCDsurfaceFormatCore::writeHeader
 }
 
 
+// parse things like this:
+//     CTNAME  1  someName
+// don't bother with the older comma-delimited format
+
+Foam::Map<Foam::word>
+Foam::fileFormats::STARCDsurfaceFormatCore::readInpCellTable
+(
+    IFstream& is
+)
+{
+    Map<word> lookup;
+
+    regExp ctnameRE
+    (
+        " *CTNA[^ ]*"       // keyword - min 4 chars
+        "[[:space:]]+"      // space delimited
+        "([0-9]+)"          // 1: <digits>
+        "[[:space:]]+"      // space delimited
+        "([^,[:space:]].*)", // 2: <name>
+        true                // ignore case
+    );
+
+    string line;
+    List<string> groups;
+    while (is.good() && is.getLine(line).good())
+    {
+        if (ctnameRE.match(line, groups))
+        {
+            const label tableId = atoi(groups[0].c_str());
+
+            // strip bad chars
+            string::stripInvalid<word>(groups[1]);
+
+            if (!groups[1].empty())
+            {
+                lookup.insert(tableId, groups[1]);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+
+    return lookup;
+}
+
+
 bool Foam::fileFormats::STARCDsurfaceFormatCore::readPoints
 (
     IFstream& is,
diff --git a/src/surfMesh/surfaceFormats/starcd/STARCDsurfaceFormatCore.H b/src/surfMesh/surfaceFormats/starcd/STARCDsurfaceFormatCore.H
index 883a393047..0376d6248e 100644
--- a/src/surfMesh/surfaceFormats/starcd/STARCDsurfaceFormatCore.H
+++ b/src/surfMesh/surfaceFormats/starcd/STARCDsurfaceFormatCore.H
@@ -62,6 +62,8 @@ protected:
 
     static void writeHeader(Ostream&, const char* filetype);
 
+    static Map<word> readInpCellTable(IFstream&);
+
     static bool readPoints(IFstream&, pointField&, labelList& ids);
 
     static void writePoints(Ostream&, const pointField&);