diff --git a/doc/pages/highlighters.asciidoc b/doc/pages/highlighters.asciidoc
index ea6500cd..18504b3c 100644
--- a/doc/pages/highlighters.asciidoc
+++ b/doc/pages/highlighters.asciidoc
@@ -99,6 +99,10 @@ from the remaining parameters.
 add-highlighter window/ regex //\h*(TODO:)[^\n]* 0:cyan 1:yellow,red
 --------------------------------------------------------------------
 
+    capture_id can be either the capture number, or its name if a
+    named capture is used in the regex (See
+    <<regex#Groups, `:doc regex Groups`>>)
+
 *dynregex* <expression> <capture_id>:<face> ...::
     similar to regex, but expand (like a command parameter would) the
     given expression before building a regex from the result.
diff --git a/doc/pages/regex.asciidoc b/doc/pages/regex.asciidoc
index e228c25f..a43fc589 100644
--- a/doc/pages/regex.asciidoc
+++ b/doc/pages/regex.asciidoc
@@ -78,17 +78,21 @@ Regex atoms can be grouped using `(` and `)` or `(?:` and `)`. If `(` is
 used, the group will be a capturing group, which means the positions from
 the subject strings that matched between `(` and `)` will be recorded.
 
-Capture groups are numbered starting at 1. They are numbered in the order of
-appearance of their `(` in the regex. A special capture group 0 is
-for the whole sequence that matched.
+Capture groups are numbered starting at 1. They are numbered in the
+order of appearance of their `(` in the regex. A special capture group
+0 is for the whole sequence that matched.
 
-`(?:` introduces a non capturing group, which will not record the
+* `(?:` introduces a non capturing group, which will not record the
 matching positions.
 
+* `(?<name>` introduces a named capturing group, which, in addition to
+being referred by number, can be, in certain contexts, referred by the
+given name.
+
 == Alternations
 
-`|` introduces an alternation, which will either match its left-hand side,
-or its right-hand side (preferring the left-hand side)
+The `|` character introduces an alternation, which will either match
+its left-hand side, or its right-hand side (preferring the left-hand side)
 
 For example, `foo|bar` matches either `foo` or `bar`, `foo(bar|baz|qux)`
 matches `foo` followed by either `bar`, `baz` or `qux`.
diff --git a/src/highlighters.cc b/src/highlighters.cc
index 21418466..a45b5ee7 100644
--- a/src/highlighters.cc
+++ b/src/highlighters.cc
@@ -307,19 +307,25 @@ public:
         if (params.size() < 2)
             throw runtime_error("wrong parameter count");
 
+        Regex re{params[0], RegexCompileFlags::Optimize};
+
         FacesSpec faces;
         for (auto& spec : params.subrange(1))
         {
             auto colon = find(spec, ':');
             if (colon == spec.end())
                 throw runtime_error(format("wrong face spec: '{}' expected <capture>:<facespec>", spec));
-            int capture = str_to_int({spec.begin(), colon});
+            const StringView capture_name{spec.begin(), colon};
+            const int capture = str_to_int_ifp(capture_name).value_or_compute([&] {
+                return re.named_capture_index(capture_name);
+            });
+            if (capture < 0)
+                throw runtime_error(format("capture name {} is neither a capture index, nor an existing capture name",
+                                           capture_name));
             faces.emplace_back(capture, String{colon+1, spec.end()});
         }
 
-        Regex ex{params[0], RegexCompileFlags::Optimize};
-
-        return std::make_unique<RegexHighlighter>(std::move(ex), std::move(faces));
+        return std::make_unique<RegexHighlighter>(std::move(re), std::move(faces));
     }
 
 private:
@@ -492,7 +498,6 @@ std::unique_ptr<Highlighter> create_dynamic_regex_highlighter(HighlighterParamet
         faces.emplace_back(capture, String{colon+1, spec.end()});
     }
 
-
     auto make_hl = [](auto& regex_getter, auto& face_getter) {
         return std::make_unique<DynamicRegexHighlighter<std::decay_t<decltype(regex_getter)>,
                                                         std::decay_t<decltype(face_getter)>>>(
diff --git a/src/regex.cc b/src/regex.cc
index 970721c7..389b2376 100644
--- a/src/regex.cc
+++ b/src/regex.cc
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 #include "regex.hh"
+#include "ranges.hh"
 
 namespace Kakoune
 {
@@ -8,6 +9,12 @@ Regex::Regex(StringView re, RegexCompileFlags flags)
       m_str{re.str()}
 {}
 
+int Regex::named_capture_index(StringView name) const
+{
+    auto it = find_if(m_impl->named_captures, [&](auto& c) { return c.name == name; });
+    return it != m_impl->named_captures.end() ? it->index : -1;
+}
+
 String option_to_string(const Regex& re)
 {
     return re.str();
diff --git a/src/regex.hh b/src/regex.hh
index aac66921..4d7cc5f0 100644
--- a/src/regex.hh
+++ b/src/regex.hh
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ public:
     const String& str() const { return m_str; }
 
     size_t mark_count() const { return m_impl->save_count / 2 - 1; }
+    int named_capture_index(StringView name) const;
 
     static constexpr const char* option_type_name = "regex";
 
diff --git a/src/regex_impl.cc b/src/regex_impl.cc
index a86f2824..7596ba40 100644
--- a/src/regex_impl.cc
+++ b/src/regex_impl.cc
@@ -85,7 +85,8 @@ struct ParsedRegex
     Vector<Node, MemoryDomain::Regex> nodes;
 
     Vector<CharacterClass, MemoryDomain::Regex> character_classes;
-    size_t capture_count;
+    Vector<CompiledRegex::NamedCapture, MemoryDomain::Regex> named_captures;
+    uint32_t capture_count;
 };
 
 namespace
@@ -166,7 +167,7 @@ private:
     using Iterator = utf8::iterator<const char*, const char*, Codepoint, int, InvalidPolicy>;
     using NodeIndex = ParsedRegex::NodeIndex;
 
-    NodeIndex disjunction(unsigned capture = -1)
+    NodeIndex disjunction(uint32_t capture = -1)
     {
         NodeIndex index = new_node(ParsedRegex::Alternation);
         get_node(index).value = capture;
@@ -301,15 +302,25 @@ private:
                     return new_node(ParsedRegex::AnyCharExceptNewLine);
             case '(':
             {
-                auto captures = [this, it = (++m_pos).base()]() mutable {
-                    if (m_regex.end() - it >= 2 and *it++ == '?' and *it++ == ':')
-                    {
-                        m_pos = Iterator{it, m_regex};
-                        return false;
-                    }
-                    return true;
-                };
-                NodeIndex content = disjunction(captures() ? m_parsed_regex.capture_count++ : -1);
+                uint32_t capture_group = -1;
+                const char* it = (++m_pos).base();
+                if (m_regex.end() - it < 2 or *it++ != '?')
+                    capture_group = m_parsed_regex.capture_count++;
+                else if (*it == ':')
+                    m_pos = Iterator{++it, m_regex};
+                else if (*it == '<')
+                {
+                    const auto name_start = ++it;
+                    while (it != m_regex.end() and is_word(*it))
+                        ++it;
+                    if (it == m_regex.end() or *it != '>')
+                        parse_error("named captures should be only ascii word characters");
+                    capture_group = m_parsed_regex.capture_count++;
+                    m_parsed_regex.named_captures.push_back({{name_start, it}, capture_group});
+                    m_pos = Iterator{++it, m_regex};
+                }
+
+                NodeIndex content = disjunction(capture_group);
                 if (at_end() or *m_pos++ != ')')
                     parse_error("unclosed parenthesis");
                 return content;
@@ -682,6 +693,7 @@ struct RegexCompiler
             m_program.first_backward_inst = -1;
 
         m_program.character_classes = std::move(m_parsed_regex.character_classes);
+        m_program.named_captures = std::move(m_parsed_regex.named_captures);
         m_program.save_count = m_parsed_regex.capture_count * 2;
     }
 
@@ -1526,6 +1538,24 @@ auto test_regex = UnitTest{[]{
         const char str[] = "\0\n☎☏"; // work around the null byte in the literal
         kak_assert(vm.exec({str, str + sizeof(str)-1}));
     }
+
+    {
+        auto eq = [](const CompiledRegex::NamedCapture& lhs,
+                     const CompiledRegex::NamedCapture& rhs) {
+            return lhs.name == rhs.name and
+                   lhs.index == rhs.index;
+        };
+
+        TestVM<> vm{R"((?<year>\d+)-(?<month>\d+)-(?<day>\d+))"};
+        kak_assert(vm.exec("2019-01-03", RegexExecFlags::None));
+        kak_assert(StringView{vm.captures()[2], vm.captures()[3]} == "2019");
+        kak_assert(StringView{vm.captures()[4], vm.captures()[5]} == "01");
+        kak_assert(StringView{vm.captures()[6], vm.captures()[7]} == "03");
+        kak_assert(vm.named_captures.size() == 3);
+        kak_assert(eq(vm.named_captures[0], {"year", 1}));
+        kak_assert(eq(vm.named_captures[1], {"month", 2}));
+        kak_assert(eq(vm.named_captures[2], {"day", 3}));
+    }
 }};
 
 }
diff --git a/src/regex_impl.hh b/src/regex_impl.hh
index 86d65ddd..86ae81a8 100644
--- a/src/regex_impl.hh
+++ b/src/regex_impl.hh
@@ -107,9 +107,16 @@ struct CompiledRegex : RefCountable, UseMemoryDomain<MemoryDomain::Regex>
 
     explicit operator bool() const { return not instructions.empty(); }
 
+    struct NamedCapture
+    {
+        String name;
+        uint32_t index;
+    };
+
     Vector<Instruction, MemoryDomain::Regex> instructions;
     Vector<CharacterClass, MemoryDomain::Regex> character_classes;
     Vector<Lookaround, MemoryDomain::Regex> lookarounds;
+    Vector<NamedCapture, MemoryDomain::Regex> named_captures;
     uint32_t first_backward_inst; // -1 if no backward support, 0 if only backward, >0 if both forward and backward
     uint32_t save_count;
 
diff --git a/test/highlight/named-captures/cmd b/test/highlight/named-captures/cmd
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8b137891
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/highlight/named-captures/cmd
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+
diff --git a/test/highlight/named-captures/in b/test/highlight/named-captures/in
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..57ed1021
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/highlight/named-captures/in
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+2018-01-03
diff --git a/test/highlight/named-captures/rc b/test/highlight/named-captures/rc
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..14905790
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/highlight/named-captures/rc
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+add-highlighter window/ regex (?<year>\d+)-(?<month>\d+)-(?<day>\d+) year:red month:green day:yellow
diff --git a/test/highlight/named-captures/ui-out b/test/highlight/named-captures/ui-out
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..7350d79a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/highlight/named-captures/ui-out
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+{ "jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "set_ui_options", "params": [{}] }
+{ "jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "draw", "params": [[[{ "face": { "fg": "black", "bg": "white", "attributes": [] }, "contents": "2" }, { "face": { "fg": "red", "bg": "default", "attributes": [] }, "contents": "018" }, { "face": { "fg": "default", "bg": "default", "attributes": [] }, "contents": "-" }, { "face": { "fg": "green", "bg": "default", "attributes": [] }, "contents": "01" }, { "face": { "fg": "default", "bg": "default", "attributes": [] }, "contents": "-" }, { "face": { "fg": "yellow", "bg": "default", "attributes": [] }, "contents": "03" }, { "face": { "fg": "default", "bg": "default", "attributes": [] }, "contents": "\u000a" }]], { "fg": "default", "bg": "default", "attributes": [] }, { "fg": "blue", "bg": "default", "attributes": [] }] }
+{ "jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "menu_hide", "params": [] }
+{ "jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "info_hide", "params": [] }
+{ "jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "draw_status", "params": [[], [{ "face": { "fg": "default", "bg": "default", "attributes": [] }, "contents": "out 1:1 " }, { "face": { "fg": "black", "bg": "yellow", "attributes": [] }, "contents": "" }, { "face": { "fg": "default", "bg": "default", "attributes": [] }, "contents": " " }, { "face": { "fg": "blue", "bg": "default", "attributes": [] }, "contents": "1 sel" }, { "face": { "fg": "default", "bg": "default", "attributes": [] }, "contents": " - client0@[kak-tests]" }], { "fg": "cyan", "bg": "default", "attributes": [] }] }
+{ "jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "set_cursor", "params": ["buffer", { "line": 0, "column": 0 }] }
+{ "jsonrpc": "2.0", "method": "refresh", "params": [true] }