diff --git a/activerecord/CHANGELOG b/activerecord/CHANGELOG
index 38bcf0c787..f6b2ef553e 100644
--- a/activerecord/CHANGELOG
+++ b/activerecord/CHANGELOG
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 *Edge*
 
+* Rename named_scope to scope. [Pratik Naik]
+
 * Changed ActiveRecord::Base.store_full_sti_class to be true by default reflecting the previously announced Rails 3 default [DHH]
 
 * Add Relation#except. [Pratik Naik]
diff --git a/activerecord/lib/active_record/named_scope.rb b/activerecord/lib/active_record/named_scope.rb
index 16fde1ffb8..42fc6c5f28 100644
--- a/activerecord/lib/active_record/named_scope.rb
+++ b/activerecord/lib/active_record/named_scope.rb
@@ -38,11 +38,11 @@ module ActiveRecord
       # such as <tt>:conditions => {:color => :red}, :select => 'shirts.*', :include => :washing_instructions</tt>.
       #
       #   class Shirt < ActiveRecord::Base
-      #     named_scope :red, :conditions => {:color => 'red'}
-      #     named_scope :dry_clean_only, :joins => :washing_instructions, :conditions => ['washing_instructions.dry_clean_only = ?', true]
+      #     scope :red, :conditions => {:color => 'red'}
+      #     scope :dry_clean_only, :joins => :washing_instructions, :conditions => ['washing_instructions.dry_clean_only = ?', true]
       #   end
       # 
-      # The above calls to <tt>named_scope</tt> define class methods Shirt.red and Shirt.dry_clean_only. Shirt.red, 
+      # The above calls to <tt>scope</tt> define class methods Shirt.red and Shirt.dry_clean_only. Shirt.red, 
       # in effect, represents the query <tt>Shirt.find(:all, :conditions => {:color => 'red'})</tt>.
       #
       # Unlike <tt>Shirt.find(...)</tt>, however, the object returned by Shirt.red is not an Array; it resembles the association object
@@ -68,7 +68,7 @@ module ActiveRecord
       # Named \scopes can also be procedural:
       #
       #   class Shirt < ActiveRecord::Base
-      #     named_scope :colored, lambda { |color|
+      #     scope :colored, lambda { |color|
       #       { :conditions => { :color => color } }
       #     }
       #   end
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ module ActiveRecord
       # Named \scopes can also have extensions, just as with <tt>has_many</tt> declarations:
       #
       #   class Shirt < ActiveRecord::Base
-      #     named_scope :red, :conditions => {:color => 'red'} do
+      #     scope :red, :conditions => {:color => 'red'} do
       #       def dom_id
       #         'red_shirts'
       #       end
@@ -90,14 +90,14 @@ module ActiveRecord
       # <tt>proxy_options</tt> method on the proxy itself.
       #
       #   class Shirt < ActiveRecord::Base
-      #     named_scope :colored, lambda { |color|
+      #     scope :colored, lambda { |color|
       #       { :conditions => { :color => color } }
       #     }
       #   end
       #
       #   expected_options = { :conditions => { :colored => 'red' } }
       #   assert_equal expected_options, Shirt.colored('red').proxy_options
-      def named_scope(name, options = {}, &block)
+      def scope(name, options = {}, &block)
         name = name.to_sym
 
         if !scopes[name] && respond_to?(name, true)
@@ -118,6 +118,11 @@ module ActiveRecord
           end
         end
       end
+
+      def named_scope(*args, &block)
+        ActiveSupport::Deprecation.warn("Base#named_scope has been deprecated, please use Base.scope instead.", caller)
+        scope(*args, &block)
+      end
     end
 
     class Scope < Relation
diff --git a/activerecord/test/cases/named_scope_test.rb b/activerecord/test/cases/named_scope_test.rb
index ce1ac845cd..3e2bd58f9a 100644
--- a/activerecord/test/cases/named_scope_test.rb
+++ b/activerecord/test/cases/named_scope_test.rb
@@ -372,9 +372,13 @@ class NamedScopeTest < ActiveRecord::TestCase
 
   def test_named_scopes_with_reserved_names
     [:where, :with_scope].each do |protected_method|
-      assert_raises(ArgumentError) { Topic.named_scope protected_method }
+      assert_raises(ArgumentError) { Topic.scope protected_method }
     end
   end
+
+  def test_deprecated_named_scope_method
+    assert_deprecated('named_scope has been deprecated') { Topic.named_scope :deprecated_named_scope }
+  end
 end
 
 class DynamicScopeMatchTest < ActiveRecord::TestCase
diff --git a/activerecord/test/models/comment.rb b/activerecord/test/models/comment.rb
index 399dea9f12..a8a99f6dce 100644
--- a/activerecord/test/models/comment.rb
+++ b/activerecord/test/models/comment.rb
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 class Comment < ActiveRecord::Base
-  named_scope :containing_the_letter_e, :conditions => "comments.body LIKE '%e%'"
-  named_scope :for_first_post, :conditions => { :post_id => 1 }
-  named_scope :for_first_author,
+  scope :containing_the_letter_e, :conditions => "comments.body LIKE '%e%'"
+  scope :for_first_post, :conditions => { :post_id => 1 }
+  scope :for_first_author,
               :joins => :post,
               :conditions => { "posts.author_id" => 1 }
 
diff --git a/activerecord/test/models/developer.rb b/activerecord/test/models/developer.rb
index 058970336b..e7a1e110d7 100644
--- a/activerecord/test/models/developer.rb
+++ b/activerecord/test/models/developer.rb
@@ -43,7 +43,7 @@ class Developer < ActiveRecord::Base
 
   has_many :audit_logs
 
-  named_scope :jamises, :conditions => {:name => 'Jamis'}
+  scope :jamises, :conditions => {:name => 'Jamis'}
 
   validates_inclusion_of :salary, :in => 50000..200000
   validates_length_of    :name, :within => 3..20
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ end
 class DeveloperOrderedBySalary < ActiveRecord::Base
   self.table_name = 'developers'
   default_scope :order => 'salary DESC'
-  named_scope :by_name, :order => 'name DESC'
+  scope :by_name, :order => 'name DESC'
 
   def self.all_ordered_by_name
     with_scope(:find => { :order => 'name DESC' }) do
diff --git a/activerecord/test/models/organization.rb b/activerecord/test/models/organization.rb
index c85726169e..1da342a0bd 100644
--- a/activerecord/test/models/organization.rb
+++ b/activerecord/test/models/organization.rb
@@ -2,5 +2,5 @@ class Organization < ActiveRecord::Base
   has_many :member_details
   has_many :members, :through => :member_details
 
-  named_scope :clubs, { :from => 'clubs' }
+  scope :clubs, { :from => 'clubs' }
 end
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/activerecord/test/models/person.rb b/activerecord/test/models/person.rb
index 57fa6418f1..2a73b1ee01 100644
--- a/activerecord/test/models/person.rb
+++ b/activerecord/test/models/person.rb
@@ -12,6 +12,6 @@ class Person < ActiveRecord::Base
   has_many :agents, :class_name => 'Person', :foreign_key => 'primary_contact_id'
   belongs_to :number1_fan, :class_name => 'Person'
 
-  named_scope :males, :conditions => { :gender => 'M' }
-  named_scope :females, :conditions => { :gender => 'F' }
+  scope :males, :conditions => { :gender => 'M' }
+  scope :females, :conditions => { :gender => 'F' }
 end
diff --git a/activerecord/test/models/post.rb b/activerecord/test/models/post.rb
index b5f9328139..939df7549b 100644
--- a/activerecord/test/models/post.rb
+++ b/activerecord/test/models/post.rb
@@ -1,8 +1,8 @@
 class Post < ActiveRecord::Base
-  named_scope :containing_the_letter_a, where("body LIKE '%a%'")
-  named_scope :ranked_by_comments, order("comments_count DESC")
-  named_scope :limit_by, lambda {|l| limit(l) }
-  named_scope :with_authors_at_address, lambda { |address| {
+  scope :containing_the_letter_a, where("body LIKE '%a%'")
+  scope :ranked_by_comments, order("comments_count DESC")
+  scope :limit_by, lambda {|l| limit(l) }
+  scope :with_authors_at_address, lambda { |address| {
       :conditions => [ 'authors.author_address_id = ?', address.id ],
       :joins => 'JOIN authors ON authors.id = posts.author_id'
     }
@@ -19,9 +19,9 @@ class Post < ActiveRecord::Base
 
   has_one :last_comment, :class_name => 'Comment', :order => 'id desc'
 
-  named_scope :with_special_comments, :joins => :comments, :conditions => {:comments => {:type => 'SpecialComment'} }
-  named_scope :with_very_special_comments, joins(:comments).where(:comments => {:type => 'VerySpecialComment'})
-  named_scope :with_post, lambda {|post_id|
+  scope :with_special_comments, :joins => :comments, :conditions => {:comments => {:type => 'SpecialComment'} }
+  scope :with_very_special_comments, joins(:comments).where(:comments => {:type => 'VerySpecialComment'})
+  scope :with_post, lambda {|post_id|
     { :joins => :comments, :conditions => {:comments => {:post_id => post_id} } }
   }
 
diff --git a/activerecord/test/models/reply.rb b/activerecord/test/models/reply.rb
index f1ba45b528..264a49b465 100644
--- a/activerecord/test/models/reply.rb
+++ b/activerecord/test/models/reply.rb
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 require 'models/topic'
 
 class Reply < Topic
-  named_scope :base
+  scope :base
 
   belongs_to :topic, :foreign_key => "parent_id", :counter_cache => true
   belongs_to :topic_with_primary_key, :class_name => "Topic", :primary_key => "title", :foreign_key => "parent_title", :counter_cache => "replies_count"
diff --git a/activerecord/test/models/topic.rb b/activerecord/test/models/topic.rb
index baca4972cb..91fc7c9416 100644
--- a/activerecord/test/models/topic.rb
+++ b/activerecord/test/models/topic.rb
@@ -1,19 +1,19 @@
 class Topic < ActiveRecord::Base
-  named_scope :base
-  named_scope :written_before, lambda { |time|
+  scope :base
+  scope :written_before, lambda { |time|
     if time
       { :conditions => ['written_on < ?', time] }
     end
   }
-  named_scope :approved, :conditions => {:approved => true}
-  named_scope :rejected, :conditions => {:approved => false}
+  scope :approved, :conditions => {:approved => true}
+  scope :rejected, :conditions => {:approved => false}
 
-  named_scope :by_lifo, :conditions => {:author_name => 'lifo'}
+  scope :by_lifo, :conditions => {:author_name => 'lifo'}
   
-  named_scope :approved_as_hash_condition, :conditions => {:topics => {:approved => true}}
-  named_scope 'approved_as_string', :conditions => {:approved => true}
-  named_scope :replied, :conditions => ['replies_count > 0']
-  named_scope :anonymous_extension do
+  scope :approved_as_hash_condition, :conditions => {:topics => {:approved => true}}
+  scope 'approved_as_string', :conditions => {:approved => true}
+  scope :replied, :conditions => ['replies_count > 0']
+  scope :anonymous_extension do
     def one
       1
     end
@@ -33,8 +33,8 @@ class Topic < ActiveRecord::Base
       2
     end
   end
-  named_scope :named_extension, :extend => NamedExtension
-  named_scope :multiple_extensions, :extend => [MultipleExtensionTwo, MultipleExtensionOne]
+  scope :named_extension, :extend => NamedExtension
+  scope :multiple_extensions, :extend => [MultipleExtensionTwo, MultipleExtensionOne]
 
   has_many :replies, :dependent => :destroy, :foreign_key => "parent_id"
   has_many :replies_with_primary_key, :class_name => "Reply", :dependent => :destroy, :primary_key => "title", :foreign_key => "parent_title"