diff --git a/builder/dockerfile/dispatchers.go b/builder/dockerfile/dispatchers.go
index 1b875b9dc9..c6c34cac66 100644
--- a/builder/dockerfile/dispatchers.go
+++ b/builder/dockerfile/dispatchers.go
@@ -189,15 +189,20 @@ func dispatchCopy(b *Builder, args []string, attributes map[string]bool, origina
 
 	var contextID *int
 	if flFrom.IsUsed() {
-		var err error
-		context, err := strconv.Atoi(flFrom.Value)
-		if err != nil {
-			return errors.Wrap(err, "from expects an integer value corresponding to the context number")
+		flFrom.Value = strings.ToLower(flFrom.Value)
+		if context, ok := b.imageContexts.byName[flFrom.Value]; ok {
+			contextID = &context
+		} else {
+			var err error
+			context, err := strconv.Atoi(flFrom.Value)
+			if err != nil {
+				return errors.Wrap(err, "from expects an integer value corresponding to the context number")
+			}
+			if err := b.imageContexts.validate(context); err != nil {
+				return err
+			}
+			contextID = &context
 		}
-		if err := b.imageContexts.validate(context); err != nil {
-			return err
-		}
-		contextID = &context
 	}
 
 	return b.runContextCommand(args, false, false, "COPY", contextID)
@@ -208,7 +213,13 @@ func dispatchCopy(b *Builder, args []string, attributes map[string]bool, origina
 // This sets the image the dockerfile will build on top of.
 //
 func from(b *Builder, args []string, attributes map[string]bool, original string) error {
-	if len(args) != 1 {
+	ctxName := ""
+	if len(args) == 3 && strings.EqualFold(args[1], "as") {
+		ctxName = strings.ToLower(args[2])
+		if ok, _ := regexp.MatchString("^[a-z][a-z0-9-_\\.]*$", ctxName); !ok {
+			return errors.Errorf("invalid name for build stage: %q, name can't start with a number or contain symbols", ctxName)
+		}
+	} else if len(args) != 1 {
 		return errExactlyOneArgument("FROM")
 	}
 
@@ -221,7 +232,9 @@ func from(b *Builder, args []string, attributes map[string]bool, original string
 	var image builder.Image
 
 	b.resetImageCache()
-	b.imageContexts.new()
+	if err := b.imageContexts.new(ctxName); err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
 
 	// Windows cannot support a container with no base image.
 	if name == api.NoBaseImageSpecifier {
diff --git a/builder/dockerfile/imagecontext.go b/builder/dockerfile/imagecontext.go
index 32ce2aacbc..803c96d7d6 100644
--- a/builder/dockerfile/imagecontext.go
+++ b/builder/dockerfile/imagecontext.go
@@ -12,9 +12,10 @@ import (
 // imageContexts is a helper for stacking up built image rootfs and reusing
 // them as contexts
 type imageContexts struct {
-	b     *Builder
-	list  []*imageMount
-	cache *pathCache
+	b      *Builder
+	list   []*imageMount
+	byName map[string]int
+	cache  *pathCache
 }
 
 type imageMount struct {
@@ -23,8 +24,18 @@ type imageMount struct {
 	release func() error
 }
 
-func (ic *imageContexts) new() {
+func (ic *imageContexts) new(name string) error {
+	if len(name) > 0 {
+		if ic.byName == nil {
+			ic.byName = make(map[string]int)
+		}
+		if _, ok := ic.byName[name]; ok {
+			return errors.Errorf("duplicate name %s", name)
+		}
+		ic.byName[name] = len(ic.list)
+	}
 	ic.list = append(ic.list, &imageMount{})
+	return nil
 }
 
 func (ic *imageContexts) update(imageID string) {
diff --git a/builder/dockerfile/parser/parser.go b/builder/dockerfile/parser/parser.go
index 1b2dc8f3a0..b0d4d9c2d0 100644
--- a/builder/dockerfile/parser/parser.go
+++ b/builder/dockerfile/parser/parser.go
@@ -80,7 +80,7 @@ func init() {
 		command.Entrypoint:  parseMaybeJSON,
 		command.Env:         parseEnv,
 		command.Expose:      parseStringsWhitespaceDelimited,
-		command.From:        parseString,
+		command.From:        parseStringsWhitespaceDelimited,
 		command.Healthcheck: parseHealthConfig,
 		command.Label:       parseLabel,
 		command.Maintainer:  parseString,
diff --git a/integration-cli/docker_cli_build_test.go b/integration-cli/docker_cli_build_test.go
index bd712615ab..95a5b7bc7d 100644
--- a/integration-cli/docker_cli_build_test.go
+++ b/integration-cli/docker_cli_build_test.go
@@ -5752,7 +5752,7 @@ func (s *DockerSuite) TestBuildContChar(c *check.C) {
 
 func (s *DockerSuite) TestBuildCopyFromPreviousRootFS(c *check.C) {
 	dockerfile := `
-		FROM busybox
+		FROM busybox AS first
 		COPY foo bar
 		FROM busybox
     %s
@@ -5762,7 +5762,8 @@ func (s *DockerSuite) TestBuildCopyFromPreviousRootFS(c *check.C) {
     COPY bar /
     COPY --from=1 baz sub/
     COPY --from=0 bar baz
-    COPY --from=0 bar bay`
+    COPY --from=first bar bay`
+
 	ctx := fakeContext(c, fmt.Sprintf(dockerfile, ""), map[string]string{
 		"Dockerfile": dockerfile,
 		"foo":        "abc",
@@ -5847,6 +5848,36 @@ func (s *DockerSuite) TestBuildCopyFromPreviousRootFSErrors(c *check.C) {
 		ExitCode: 1,
 		Err:      "invalid from flag value 0 refers current build block",
 	})
+
+	dockerfile = `
+		FROM busybox AS foo
+		COPY --from=bar foo bar`
+
+	ctx = fakeContext(c, dockerfile, map[string]string{
+		"Dockerfile": dockerfile,
+		"foo":        "abc",
+	})
+	defer ctx.Close()
+
+	buildImage("build1", withExternalBuildContext(ctx)).Assert(c, icmd.Expected{
+		ExitCode: 1,
+		Err:      "invalid context value bar",
+	})
+
+	dockerfile = `
+		FROM busybox AS 1
+		COPY --from=1 foo bar`
+
+	ctx = fakeContext(c, dockerfile, map[string]string{
+		"Dockerfile": dockerfile,
+		"foo":        "abc",
+	})
+	defer ctx.Close()
+
+	buildImage("build1", withExternalBuildContext(ctx)).Assert(c, icmd.Expected{
+		ExitCode: 1,
+		Err:      "invalid name for build stage",
+	})
 }
 
 func (s *DockerSuite) TestBuildCopyFromPreviousFrom(c *check.C) {
@@ -5863,9 +5894,9 @@ func (s *DockerSuite) TestBuildCopyFromPreviousFrom(c *check.C) {
 	result.Assert(c, icmd.Success)
 
 	dockerfile = `
-		FROM build1:latest
+		FROM build1:latest AS foo
     FROM busybox
-		COPY --from=0 bar /
+		COPY --from=foo bar /
 		COPY foo /`
 	ctx = fakeContext(c, dockerfile, map[string]string{
 		"Dockerfile": dockerfile,