diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/debug/ReadReftable.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/debug/ReadReftable.java
index cebb1c449..0b36e9ca6 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/debug/ReadReftable.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.pgm/src/org/eclipse/jgit/pgm/debug/ReadReftable.java
@@ -70,7 +70,7 @@ protected void run() throws Exception {
 				BlockSource src = BlockSource.from(in);
 				ReftableReader reader = new ReftableReader(src)) {
 			try (RefCursor rc = ref != null
-					? reader.seekPrefix(ref)
+					? reader.seekRefsWithPrefix(ref)
 					: reader.allRefs()) {
 				while (rc.next()) {
 					write(rc.getRef());
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/reftable/MergedReftableTest.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/reftable/MergedReftableTest.java
index a19f4cb5f..1d11573b9 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/reftable/MergedReftableTest.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/reftable/MergedReftableTest.java
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ public void noTables() throws IOException {
 		try (RefCursor rc = mr.seekRef(HEAD)) {
 			assertFalse(rc.next());
 		}
-		try (RefCursor rc = mr.seekPrefix(R_HEADS)) {
+		try (RefCursor rc = mr.seekRefsWithPrefix(R_HEADS)) {
 			assertFalse(rc.next());
 		}
 	}
@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ public void oneEmptyTable() throws IOException {
 		try (RefCursor rc = mr.seekRef(HEAD)) {
 			assertFalse(rc.next());
 		}
-		try (RefCursor rc = mr.seekPrefix(R_HEADS)) {
+		try (RefCursor rc = mr.seekRefsWithPrefix(R_HEADS)) {
 			assertFalse(rc.next());
 		}
 	}
@@ -108,7 +108,7 @@ public void twoEmptyTables() throws IOException {
 		try (RefCursor rc = mr.seekRef(HEAD)) {
 			assertFalse(rc.next());
 		}
-		try (RefCursor rc = mr.seekPrefix(R_HEADS)) {
+		try (RefCursor rc = mr.seekRefsWithPrefix(R_HEADS)) {
 			assertFalse(rc.next());
 		}
 	}
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/reftable/ReftableTest.java b/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/reftable/ReftableTest.java
index 35e407f3c..0ee785c60 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/reftable/ReftableTest.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit.test/tst/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/reftable/ReftableTest.java
@@ -101,7 +101,7 @@ public void emptyTable() throws IOException {
 		try (RefCursor rc = t.seekRef(HEAD)) {
 			assertFalse(rc.next());
 		}
-		try (RefCursor rc = t.seekPrefix(R_HEADS)) {
+		try (RefCursor rc = t.seekRefsWithPrefix(R_HEADS)) {
 			assertFalse(rc.next());
 		}
 		try (LogCursor rc = t.allLogs()) {
@@ -317,10 +317,10 @@ public void seekNotFound() throws IOException {
 	public void namespaceNotFound() throws IOException {
 		Ref exp = ref(MASTER, 1);
 		ReftableReader t = read(write(exp));
-		try (RefCursor rc = t.seekPrefix("refs/changes/")) {
+		try (RefCursor rc = t.seekRefsWithPrefix("refs/changes/")) {
 			assertFalse(rc.next());
 		}
-		try (RefCursor rc = t.seekPrefix("refs/tags/")) {
+		try (RefCursor rc = t.seekRefsWithPrefix("refs/tags/")) {
 			assertFalse(rc.next());
 		}
 	}
@@ -332,12 +332,12 @@ public void namespaceHeads() throws IOException {
 		Ref v1 = tag(V1_0, 3, 4);
 
 		ReftableReader t = read(write(master, next, v1));
-		try (RefCursor rc = t.seekPrefix("refs/tags/")) {
+		try (RefCursor rc = t.seekRefsWithPrefix("refs/tags/")) {
 			assertTrue(rc.next());
 			assertEquals(V1_0, rc.getRef().getName());
 			assertFalse(rc.next());
 		}
-		try (RefCursor rc = t.seekPrefix("refs/heads/")) {
+		try (RefCursor rc = t.seekRefsWithPrefix("refs/heads/")) {
 			assertTrue(rc.next());
 			assertEquals(MASTER, rc.getRef().getName());
 
@@ -484,7 +484,7 @@ public void onlyReflog() throws IOException {
 		try (RefCursor rc = t.allRefs()) {
 			assertFalse(rc.next());
 		}
-		try (RefCursor rc = t.seekPrefix("refs/heads/")) {
+		try (RefCursor rc = t.seekRefsWithPrefix("refs/heads/")) {
 			assertFalse(rc.next());
 		}
 		try (LogCursor lc = t.allLogs()) {
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsReftableDatabase.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsReftableDatabase.java
index b891910c0..70816307f 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsReftableDatabase.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/dfs/DfsReftableDatabase.java
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ public boolean isNameConflicting(String refName) throws IOException {
 			}
 
 			// Cannot be the container of an existing reference.
-			return table.hasRef(refName + '/');
+			return table.hasRefsWithPrefix(refName + '/');
 		} finally {
 			lock.unlock();
 		}
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ public Map<String, Ref> getRefs(String prefix) throws IOException {
 		try {
 			Reftable table = reader();
 			try (RefCursor rc = ALL.equals(prefix) ? table.allRefs()
-					: (prefix.endsWith("/") ? table.seekPrefix(prefix) //$NON-NLS-1$
+					: (prefix.endsWith("/") ? table.seekRefsWithPrefix(prefix) //$NON-NLS-1$
 							: table.seekRef(prefix))) {
 				while (rc.next()) {
 					Ref ref = table.resolve(rc.getRef());
@@ -266,7 +266,7 @@ public List<Ref> getRefsByPrefix(String prefix) throws IOException {
 		try {
 			Reftable table = reader();
 			try (RefCursor rc = ALL.equals(prefix) ? table.allRefs()
-					: table.seekPrefix(prefix)) {
+					: table.seekRefsWithPrefix(prefix)) {
 				while (rc.next()) {
 					Ref ref = table.resolve(rc.getRef());
 					if (ref != null && ref.getObjectId() != null) {
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/reftable/MergedReftable.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/reftable/MergedReftable.java
index 7e2242092..17894b166 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/reftable/MergedReftable.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/reftable/MergedReftable.java
@@ -113,10 +113,10 @@ public RefCursor seekRef(String name) throws IOException {
 
 	/** {@inheritDoc} */
 	@Override
-	public RefCursor seekPrefix(String prefix) throws IOException {
+	public RefCursor seekRefsWithPrefix(String prefix) throws IOException {
 		MergedRefCursor m = new MergedRefCursor();
 		for (int i = 0; i < tables.length; i++) {
-			m.add(new RefQueueEntry(tables[i].seekPrefix(prefix), i));
+			m.add(new RefQueueEntry(tables[i].seekRefsWithPrefix(prefix), i));
 		}
 		return m;
 	}
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/reftable/Reftable.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/reftable/Reftable.java
index 0593d94b2..a1087e202 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/reftable/Reftable.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/reftable/Reftable.java
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ public void setIncludeDeletes(boolean deletes) {
 	 * @throws java.io.IOException
 	 *             if references cannot be read.
 	 */
-	public abstract RefCursor seekPrefix(String prefix) throws IOException;
+	public abstract RefCursor seekRefsWithPrefix(String prefix) throws IOException;
 
 	/**
 	 * Match references pointing to a specific object.
@@ -202,24 +202,32 @@ public Ref exactRef(String refName) throws IOException {
 	}
 
 	/**
-	 * Test if a reference or reference subtree exists.
-	 * <p>
-	 * If {@code refName} ends with {@code "/"}, the method tests if any
-	 * reference starts with {@code refName} as a prefix.
-	 * <p>
-	 * Otherwise, the method checks if {@code refName} exists.
+	 * Test if a reference exists.
 	 *
 	 * @param refName
 	 *            reference name or subtree to find.
-	 * @return {@code true} if the reference exists, or at least one reference
-	 *         exists in the subtree.
+	 * @return {@code true} if the reference exists.
 	 * @throws java.io.IOException
 	 *             if references cannot be read.
 	 */
 	public boolean hasRef(String refName) throws IOException {
-		try (RefCursor rc = seekPrefix(refName)) {
-			return rc.next() && (refName.endsWith("/") //$NON-NLS-1$
-					|| refName.equals(rc.getRef().getName()));
+		try (RefCursor rc = seekRef(refName)) {
+			return rc.next();
+		}
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * Test if any reference starts with {@code prefix} as a prefix.
+	 *
+	 * @param prefix
+	 *            prefix to find.
+	 * @return {@code true} if at least one reference exists with prefix.
+	 * @throws java.io.IOException
+	 *             if references cannot be read.
+	 */
+	public boolean hasRefsWithPrefix(String prefix) throws IOException {
+		try (RefCursor rc = seekRefsWithPrefix(prefix)) {
+			return rc.next();
 		}
 	}
 
diff --git a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/reftable/ReftableReader.java b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/reftable/ReftableReader.java
index 80e386a62..bd52256c2 100644
--- a/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/reftable/ReftableReader.java
+++ b/org.eclipse.jgit/src/org/eclipse/jgit/internal/storage/reftable/ReftableReader.java
@@ -190,7 +190,7 @@ public RefCursor seekRef(String refName) throws IOException {
 
 	/** {@inheritDoc} */
 	@Override
-	public RefCursor seekPrefix(String prefix) throws IOException {
+	public RefCursor seekRefsWithPrefix(String prefix) throws IOException {
 		initRefIndex();
 
 		byte[] key = prefix.getBytes(CHARSET);