diff --git a/pmd-test/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/testframework/RuleTst.java b/pmd-test/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/testframework/RuleTst.java
index 244ff01fd1..02981054d6 100644
--- a/pmd-test/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/testframework/RuleTst.java
+++ b/pmd-test/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/testframework/RuleTst.java
@@ -240,6 +240,7 @@ public abstract class RuleTst {
         System.out.println(" -> Expected messages: " + test.getExpectedMessages());
         System.out.println(" -> Expected line numbers: " + test.getExpectedLineNumbers());
         System.out.println("Test Method Name: " + test.getTestMethodName());
+        System.out.println("    @org.junit.Test public void " + test.getTestMethodName() + "() {}");
         System.out.println();
         TextRenderer renderer = new TextRenderer();
         renderer.setWriter(new StringWriter());
diff --git a/pmd-test/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/testframework/TestDescriptor.java b/pmd-test/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/testframework/TestDescriptor.java
index 706f5f154b..8161ef4155 100644
--- a/pmd-test/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/testframework/TestDescriptor.java
+++ b/pmd-test/src/main/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/testframework/TestDescriptor.java
@@ -155,6 +155,7 @@ public class TestDescriptor {
                 + "_"
                 + getDescription()
                 .replaceAll("\n|\r", "_")
-                .replaceAll("[\\.\\(\\)]|\\s", "_");
+                .replaceAll("[^\\w\\d_$]", "_")
+                .replaceAll("\\s+", "_");
     }
 }
diff --git a/pmd-test/src/test/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/testframework/TestDescriptorTest.java b/pmd-test/src/test/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/testframework/TestDescriptorTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ae8024ed13
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pmd-test/src/test/java/net/sourceforge/pmd/testframework/TestDescriptorTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+/*
+ * BSD-style license; for more info see http://pmd.sourceforge.net/license.html
+ */
+
+package net.sourceforge.pmd.testframework;
+
+import org.junit.Assert;
+import org.junit.Test;
+
+import net.sourceforge.pmd.lang.rule.MockRule;
+
+public class TestDescriptorTest {
+    @Test
+    public void testMethodName() {
+        Assert.assertEquals("MockRule_1_Name", create("Name"));
+        Assert.assertEquals("MockRule_1_Tests_xyz", create("Tests xyz"));
+        Assert.assertEquals("MockRule_1_Tests_xyz__false_positive_", create("Tests xyz (false positive)"));
+        Assert.assertEquals("MockRule_1_Tests_xyz__123", create("Tests xyz #123"));
+    }
+
+    private String create(String description) {
+        TestDescriptor descriptor = new TestDescriptor("foo", description, 0,
+                new MockRule("MockRule", "desc", "msg", "ruleset"));
+        descriptor.setNumberInDocument(1);
+        return descriptor.getTestMethodName();
+    }
+}