diff --git a/phpBB/includes/template_compile.php b/phpBB/includes/template_compile.php
index d9eda1d8c2..92695a54fa 100644
--- a/phpBB/includes/template_compile.php
+++ b/phpBB/includes/template_compile.php
@@ -23,13 +23,13 @@ if (!defined('IN_PHPBB'))
 */
 class phpbb_template_filter extends php_user_filter
 {
-	const REGEX_NS = '[a-z][a-z_0-9]+';
+	const REGEX_NS = '[a-z_][a-z_0-9]+';
 
-	const REGEX_VAR = '[A-Z][A-Z_0-9]+';
+	const REGEX_VAR = '[A-Z_][A-Z_0-9]+';
 
 	const REGEX_TAG = '<!-- ([A-Z][A-Z_0-9]+)(?: (.*?) ?)?-->';
 
-	const REGEX_TOKENS = '~<!-- ([A-Z][A-Z_0-9]+)(?: (.*?) ?)?-->|{((?:[a-z][a-z_0-9]+\.)*\\$?[A-Z][A-Z_0-9]+)}~';
+	const REGEX_TOKENS = '~<!-- ([A-Z][A-Z_0-9]+)(?: (.*?) ?)?-->|{((?:[a-z_][a-z_0-9]+\.)*\\$?[A-Z][A-Z_0-9]+)}~';
 
 	/**
 	* @var array
diff --git a/tests/template/template_test.php b/tests/template/template_test.php
index 665b7a81ab..a7c49927f1 100644
--- a/tests/template/template_test.php
+++ b/tests/template/template_test.php
@@ -235,6 +235,15 @@ class phpbb_template_template_test extends phpbb_test_case
 				array('loop.inner'),
 				"first\n0\n0\n2\nx\nset\n1\n1\n2\ny\nset\nlast",
 			),*/
+			array(
+				// Just like a regular loop but the name begins
+				// with an underscore
+				'loop_underscore.html',
+				array(),
+				array(),
+				array(),
+				"noloop\nnoloop",
+			),
 			array(
 				'lang.html',
 				array(),
diff --git a/tests/template/templates/loop_underscore.html b/tests/template/templates/loop_underscore.html
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..dafce5dea6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/template/templates/loop_underscore.html
@@ -0,0 +1,21 @@
+<!-- BEGIN _underscore_loop -->
+loop
+<!-- BEGINELSE -->
+noloop
+<!-- END loop -->
+
+<!-- IF ._underscore_loop -->
+loop
+<!-- ELSE -->
+noloop
+<!-- ENDIF -->
+
+<!-- IF ._underscore_loop == 2 -->
+loop
+<!-- ENDIF -->
+
+<!-- BEGIN _underscore_loop -->
+<!-- BEGIN !block -->
+loop#{loop.S_ROW_COUNT}-block#{block.S_ROW_COUNT}
+<!-- END !block -->
+<!-- END _underscore_loop -->