diff --git a/types/model/name.go b/types/model/name.go
index 09895b1f..991fdc82 100644
--- a/types/model/name.go
+++ b/types/model/name.go
@@ -132,11 +132,12 @@ type Name struct {
 // field values are left in an undefined state. Use [Name.IsValid] to check
 // if the name is valid.
 func ParseName(s string) Name {
-	return merge(parseName(s), DefaultName())
+	return Merge(ParseNameBare(s), DefaultName())
 }
 
-// parseName is the same as [ParseName] without a merge.
-func parseName(s string) Name {
+// ParseNameBare parses s as a name string and returns a Name. No merge with
+// [DefaultName] is performed.
+func ParseNameBare(s string) Name {
 	var n Name
 	var promised bool
 
@@ -161,9 +162,9 @@ func parseName(s string) Name {
 	return n
 }
 
-// merge merges the host, namespace, and tag parts of the two names,
+// Merge merges the host, namespace, and tag parts of the two names,
 // preferring the non-empty parts of a.
-func merge(a, b Name) Name {
+func Merge(a, b Name) Name {
 	a.Host = cmp.Or(a.Host, b.Host)
 	a.Namespace = cmp.Or(a.Namespace, b.Namespace)
 	a.Tag = cmp.Or(a.Tag, b.Tag)
diff --git a/types/model/name_test.go b/types/model/name_test.go
index 81e9d44c..81de0aca 100644
--- a/types/model/name_test.go
+++ b/types/model/name_test.go
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ func TestParseNameParts(t *testing.T) {
 
 	for _, tt := range cases {
 		t.Run(tt.in, func(t *testing.T) {
-			got := parseName(tt.in)
+			got := ParseNameBare(tt.in)
 			if !reflect.DeepEqual(got, tt.want) {
 				t.Errorf("parseName(%q) = %v; want %v", tt.in, got, tt.want)
 			}
@@ -166,7 +166,7 @@ func TestNameparseNameDefault(t *testing.T) {
 func TestNameIsValid(t *testing.T) {
 	var numStringTests int
 	for s, want := range testCases {
-		n := parseName(s)
+		n := ParseNameBare(s)
 		t.Logf("n: %#v", n)
 		got := n.IsValid()
 		if got != want {
@@ -175,7 +175,7 @@ func TestNameIsValid(t *testing.T) {
 
 		// Test roundtrip with String
 		if got {
-			got := parseName(s).String()
+			got := ParseNameBare(s).String()
 			if got != s {
 				t.Errorf("parseName(%q).String() = %q; want %q", s, got, s)
 			}
@@ -221,7 +221,7 @@ func FuzzName(f *testing.F) {
 		f.Add(s)
 	}
 	f.Fuzz(func(t *testing.T, s string) {
-		n := parseName(s)
+		n := ParseNameBare(s)
 		if n.IsValid() {
 			parts := [...]string{n.Host, n.Namespace, n.Model, n.Tag, n.RawDigest}
 			for _, part := range parts {