diff --git a/lib/coffee-script/cake.js b/lib/coffee-script/cake.js
index 60f0dbee..db24f46e 100644
--- a/lib/coffee-script/cake.js
+++ b/lib/coffee-script/cake.js
@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@
   });
 
   exports.run = function() {
-    var arg, args, e, i, len, ref, results;
+    var _error, arg, args, e, i, len, ref, results;
     global.__originalDirname = fs.realpathSync('.');
     process.chdir(cakefileDirectory(__originalDirname));
     args = process.argv.slice(2);
diff --git a/lib/coffee-script/coffee-script.js b/lib/coffee-script/coffee-script.js
index 9dc7c710..7345413b 100644
--- a/lib/coffee-script/coffee-script.js
+++ b/lib/coffee-script/coffee-script.js
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@
 
   withPrettyErrors = function(fn) {
     return function(code, options) {
-      var err;
+      var _error, err;
       if (options == null) {
         options = {};
       }
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@
   }
 
   exports._compileFile = function(filename, sourceMap) {
-    var answer, err, raw, stripped;
+    var _error, answer, err, raw, stripped;
     if (sourceMap == null) {
       sourceMap = false;
     }
diff --git a/lib/coffee-script/command.js b/lib/coffee-script/command.js
index cc1adee8..7a83947d 100644
--- a/lib/coffee-script/command.js
+++ b/lib/coffee-script/command.js
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@
   };
 
   compilePath = function(source, topLevel, base) {
-    var code, err, file, files, i, len, results, stats;
+    var _error, _error1, _error2, code, err, file, files, i, len, results, stats;
     if (indexOf.call(sources, source) >= 0 || watchedDirs[source] || !topLevel && (notSources[source] || hidden(source))) {
       return;
     }
@@ -140,8 +140,8 @@
       }
       try {
         files = fs.readdirSync(source);
-      } catch (_error) {
-        err = _error;
+      } catch (_error1) {
+        err = _error1;
         if (err.code === 'ENOENT') {
           return;
         } else {
@@ -163,8 +163,8 @@
       }
       try {
         code = fs.readFileSync(source);
-      } catch (_error) {
-        err = _error;
+      } catch (_error2) {
+        err = _error2;
         if (err.code === 'ENOENT') {
           return;
         } else {
@@ -178,7 +178,7 @@
   };
 
   findDirectoryIndex = function(source) {
-    var err, ext, i, index, len, ref1;
+    var _error, err, ext, i, index, len, ref1;
     ref1 = CoffeeScript.FILE_EXTENSIONS;
     for (i = 0, len = ref1.length; i < len; i++) {
       ext = ref1[i];
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@
   };
 
   compileScript = function(file, input, base) {
-    var compiled, err, message, o, options, t, task;
+    var _error, compiled, err, message, o, options, t, task;
     if (base == null) {
       base = null;
     }
@@ -289,11 +289,12 @@
   };
 
   watch = function(source, base) {
-    var compile, compileTimeout, err, prevStats, rewatch, startWatcher, watchErr, watcher;
+    var _error, compile, compileTimeout, err, prevStats, rewatch, startWatcher, watchErr, watcher;
     watcher = null;
     prevStats = null;
     compileTimeout = null;
     watchErr = function(err) {
+      var _error;
       if (err.code !== 'ENOENT') {
         throw err;
       }
@@ -352,7 +353,7 @@
   };
 
   watchDir = function(source, base) {
-    var err, readdirTimeout, startWatcher, stopWatcher, watcher;
+    var _error, err, readdirTimeout, startWatcher, stopWatcher, watcher;
     watcher = null;
     readdirTimeout = null;
     startWatcher = function() {
@@ -364,7 +365,7 @@
       }).on('change', function() {
         clearTimeout(readdirTimeout);
         return readdirTimeout = wait(25, function() {
-          var err, file, files, i, len, results;
+          var _error, err, file, files, i, len, results;
           try {
             files = fs.readdirSync(source);
           } catch (_error) {
@@ -428,7 +429,7 @@
   };
 
   silentUnlink = function(path) {
-    var err, ref1;
+    var _error, err, ref1;
     try {
       return fs.unlinkSync(path);
     } catch (_error) {
diff --git a/lib/coffee-script/nodes.js b/lib/coffee-script/nodes.js
index 2144d539..40b029e0 100644
--- a/lib/coffee-script/nodes.js
+++ b/lib/coffee-script/nodes.js
@@ -2688,7 +2688,7 @@
       o.indent += TAB;
       scope = o.scope;
       tryPart = this.attempt.compileToFragments(o, LEVEL_TOP);
-      catchPart = this.recovery ? (generatedErrorVariableName = scope.freeVariable('_error'), placeholder = new Literal(generatedErrorVariableName), this.errorVariable ? this.recovery.unshift(new Assign(this.errorVariable, placeholder)) : void 0, [].concat(this.makeCode(" catch ("), placeholder.compileToFragments(o), this.makeCode(") {\n"), this.recovery.compileToFragments(o, LEVEL_TOP), this.makeCode("\n" + this.tab + "}"))) : !(this.ensure || this.recovery) ? [this.makeCode(" catch (" + generatedErrorVariableName + ") {}")] : [];
+      catchPart = this.recovery ? (generatedErrorVariableName = scope.freeVariable('error'), placeholder = new Literal(generatedErrorVariableName), this.errorVariable ? this.recovery.unshift(new Assign(this.errorVariable, placeholder)) : void 0, [].concat(this.makeCode(" catch ("), placeholder.compileToFragments(o), this.makeCode(") {\n"), this.recovery.compileToFragments(o, LEVEL_TOP), this.makeCode("\n" + this.tab + "}"))) : !(this.ensure || this.recovery) ? [this.makeCode(" catch (" + generatedErrorVariableName + ") {}")] : [];
       ensurePart = this.ensure ? [].concat(this.makeCode(" finally {\n"), this.ensure.compileToFragments(o, LEVEL_TOP), this.makeCode("\n" + this.tab + "}")) : [];
       return [].concat(this.makeCode(this.tab + "try {\n"), tryPart, this.makeCode("\n" + this.tab + "}"), catchPart, ensurePart);
     };
diff --git a/lib/coffee-script/repl.js b/lib/coffee-script/repl.js
index 4c67d05d..1766836e 100644
--- a/lib/coffee-script/repl.js
+++ b/lib/coffee-script/repl.js
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
     historyFile: process.env.HOME ? path.join(process.env.HOME, '.coffee_history') : void 0,
     historyMaxInputSize: 10240,
     "eval": function(input, context, filename, cb) {
-      var Assign, Block, Literal, Value, ast, err, js, ref1, referencedVars, token, tokens;
+      var Assign, Block, Literal, Value, _error, ast, err, js, ref1, referencedVars, token, tokens;
       input = input.replace(/\uFF00/g, '\n');
       input = input.replace(/^\(([\s\S]*)\n\)$/m, '$1');
       ref1 = require('./nodes'), Block = ref1.Block, Assign = ref1.Assign, Value = ref1.Value, Literal = ref1.Literal;
diff --git a/src/nodes.coffee b/src/nodes.coffee
index 0bb468db..94afb73d 100644
--- a/src/nodes.coffee
+++ b/src/nodes.coffee
@@ -1896,7 +1896,7 @@ exports.Try = class Try extends Base
     tryPart   = @attempt.compileToFragments o, LEVEL_TOP
 
     catchPart = if @recovery
-      generatedErrorVariableName = scope.freeVariable '_error'
+      generatedErrorVariableName = scope.freeVariable 'error'
       placeholder = new Literal generatedErrorVariableName
       @recovery.unshift new Assign @errorVariable, placeholder if @errorVariable
       [].concat @makeCode(" catch ("), placeholder.compileToFragments(o), @makeCode(") {\n"),
diff --git a/test/assignment.coffee b/test/assignment.coffee
index 12e6b640..988618fc 100644
--- a/test/assignment.coffee
+++ b/test/assignment.coffee
@@ -444,16 +444,10 @@ test "#1500: Assignment to variables similar to generated variables", ->
   eq 1, scope.a
 
   try throw 'foo'
-  catch _error
-    eq _error, 'foo'
+  catch error
+    eq error, 'foo'
 
-  eq _error, 'foo'
-
-  try throw 'bar'
-  catch __error
-    eq __error, 'bar'
-
-  eq __error, 'bar'
+  eq error, 'foo'
 
   doesNotThrow -> CoffeeScript.compile '(@slice...) ->'