diff --git a/src/video/x11/SDL_x11sym.h b/src/video/x11/SDL_x11sym.h
index cf031cfa2..00f116b53 100644
--- a/src/video/x11/SDL_x11sym.h
+++ b/src/video/x11/SDL_x11sym.h
@@ -57,8 +57,7 @@ SDL_X11_SYM(1,XModifierKeymap*,XGetModifierMapping,(Display*))
 SDL_X11_SYM(1,int,XGetPointerControl,(Display*,int*,int*,int*))
 SDL_X11_SYM(1,XVisualInfo*,XGetVisualInfo,(Display*,long,XVisualInfo*,int*))
 SDL_X11_SYM(1,XWMHints*,XGetWMHints,(Display*,Window))
-SDL_X11_SYM(1,Status,XGetWMIconName,(Display*,Window,XTextProperty*))
-SDL_X11_SYM(1,Status,XGetWMName,(Display*,Window,XTextProperty*))
+SDL_X11_SYM(1,Status,XGetTextProperty,(Display*,Window,XTextProperty*,Atom))
 SDL_X11_SYM(1,Status,XGetWindowAttributes,(Display*,Window,XWindowAttributes*))
 SDL_X11_SYM(1,int,XGrabKeyboard,(Display*,Window,Bool,int,int,Time))
 SDL_X11_SYM(1,int,XGrabPointer,(Display*,Window,Bool,unsigned int,int,int,Window,Cursor,Time))
@@ -93,8 +92,7 @@ SDL_X11_SYM(1,XErrorHandler,XSetErrorHandler,(XErrorHandler))
 SDL_X11_SYM(1,XIOErrorHandler,XSetIOErrorHandler,(XIOErrorHandler))
 SDL_X11_SYM(1,int,XSetTransientForHint,(Display*,Window,Window))
 SDL_X11_SYM(1,int,XSetWMHints,(Display*,Window,XWMHints*))
-SDL_X11_SYM(1,void,XSetWMIconName,(Display*,Window,XTextProperty*))
-SDL_X11_SYM(1,void,XSetWMName,(Display*,Window,XTextProperty*))
+SDL_X11_SYM(1,void,XSetTextProperty,(Display*,Window,XTextProperty*,Atom))
 SDL_X11_SYM(1,void,XSetWMNormalHints,(Display*,Window,XSizeHints*))
 SDL_X11_SYM(1,Status,XSetWMProtocols,(Display*,Window,Atom*,int))
 SDL_X11_SYM(1,int,XSetWindowBackground,(Display*,Window,unsigned long))
diff --git a/src/video/x11/SDL_x11video.c b/src/video/x11/SDL_x11video.c
index 2a3af35c4..1425d4cdd 100644
--- a/src/video/x11/SDL_x11video.c
+++ b/src/video/x11/SDL_x11video.c
@@ -310,12 +310,19 @@ static char *get_classname(char *classname, int maxlen)
 /* Create auxiliary (toplevel) windows with the current visual */
 static void create_aux_windows(_THIS)
 {
+    Atom _NET_WM_NAME;
+    Atom _NET_WM_ICON_NAME;
     char classname[1024];
     XSetWindowAttributes xattr;
     XWMHints *hints;
-    XTextProperty titleprop, iconprop;
+    XTextProperty titleprop, titlepropUTF8, iconprop, iconpropUTF8;
     int def_vis = (SDL_Visual == DefaultVisual(SDL_Display, SDL_Screen));
 
+    /* Look up some useful Atoms */
+    WM_DELETE_WINDOW = pXInternAtom(SDL_Display, "WM_DELETE_WINDOW", False);
+    _NET_WM_NAME = pXInternAtom(SDL_Display, "_NET_WM_NAME", False);
+    _NET_WM_ICON_NAME = pXInternAtom(SDL_Display, "_NET_WM_ICON_NAME", False);
+
     /* Don't create any extra windows if we are being managed */
     if ( SDL_windowid ) {
 	FSwindow = 0;
@@ -358,12 +365,15 @@ static void create_aux_windows(_THIS)
     }
 
     hints = NULL;
-    titleprop.value = iconprop.value = NULL;
+    titleprop.value = titlepropUTF8.value = NULL;
+    iconprop.value = iconpropUTF8.value = NULL;
     if(WMwindow) {
 	/* All window attributes must survive the recreation */
 	hints = pXGetWMHints(SDL_Display, WMwindow);
-	pXGetWMName(SDL_Display, WMwindow, &titleprop);
-	pXGetWMIconName(SDL_Display, WMwindow, &iconprop);
+	pXGetTextProperty(SDL_Display, WMwindow, &titleprop, XA_WM_NAME);
+	pXGetTextProperty(SDL_Display, WMwindow, &titlepropUTF8, _NET_WM_NAME);
+	pXGetTextProperty(SDL_Display, WMwindow, &iconprop, XA_WM_ICON_NAME);
+	pXGetTextProperty(SDL_Display, WMwindow, &iconpropUTF8, _NET_WM_ICON_NAME);
 	pXDestroyWindow(SDL_Display, WMwindow);
     }
 
@@ -383,13 +393,21 @@ static void create_aux_windows(_THIS)
     pXSetWMHints(SDL_Display, WMwindow, hints);
     pXFree(hints);
     if(titleprop.value) {
-	pXSetWMName(SDL_Display, WMwindow, &titleprop);
+	pXSetTextProperty(SDL_Display, WMwindow, &titleprop, XA_WM_NAME);
 	pXFree(titleprop.value);
     }
+    if(titlepropUTF8.value) {
+	pXSetTextProperty(SDL_Display, WMwindow, &titlepropUTF8, _NET_WM_NAME);
+	pXFree(titlepropUTF8.value);
+    }
     if(iconprop.value) {
-	pXSetWMIconName(SDL_Display, WMwindow, &iconprop);
+	pXSetTextProperty(SDL_Display, WMwindow, &iconprop, XA_WM_ICON_NAME);
 	pXFree(iconprop.value);
     }
+    if(iconpropUTF8.value) {
+	pXSetTextProperty(SDL_Display, WMwindow, &iconpropUTF8, _NET_WM_ICON_NAME);
+	pXFree(iconpropUTF8.value);
+    }
 
     pXSelectInput(SDL_Display, WMwindow,
 		 FocusChangeMask | KeyPressMask | KeyReleaseMask
@@ -433,7 +451,6 @@ static void create_aux_windows(_THIS)
     #endif
 
     /* Allow the window to be deleted by the window manager */
-    WM_DELETE_WINDOW = pXInternAtom(SDL_Display, "WM_DELETE_WINDOW", False);
     pXSetWMProtocols(SDL_Display, WMwindow, &WM_DELETE_WINDOW, 1);
 }
 
diff --git a/src/video/x11/SDL_x11wm.c b/src/video/x11/SDL_x11wm.c
index c1161023a..a03ebedd5 100644
--- a/src/video/x11/SDL_x11wm.c
+++ b/src/video/x11/SDL_x11wm.c
@@ -243,46 +243,61 @@ void X11_SetIcon(_THIS, SDL_Surface *icon, Uint8 *mask)
 void X11_SetCaption(_THIS, const char *title, const char *icon)
 {
 	XTextProperty titleprop, iconprop;
+	Status status;
+
+#ifdef X_HAVE_UTF8_STRING
+	Atom _NET_WM_NAME;
+	Atom _NET_WM_ICON_NAME;
+
+	/* Look up some useful Atoms */
+	_NET_WM_NAME = pXInternAtom(SDL_Display, "_NET_WM_NAME", False);
+	_NET_WM_ICON_NAME = pXInternAtom(SDL_Display, "_NET_WM_ICON_NAME", False);
+#endif
 
 	/* Lock the event thread, in multi-threading environments */
 	SDL_Lock_EventThread();
 
 	if ( title != NULL ) {
-		int error = XLocaleNotSupported;
-#ifdef X_HAVE_UTF8_STRING
-		error = pXutf8TextListToTextProperty(SDL_Display,
-				(char **)&title, 1, XUTF8StringStyle,
-				&titleprop);
-#endif
-		if ( error != Success ) {
-			char *title_latin1 = SDL_iconv_utf8_latin1((char *)title);
-			if ( !title_latin1 ) {
-				SDL_OutOfMemory();
-				return;
-			}
-			pXStringListToTextProperty(&title_latin1, 1, &titleprop);
-			SDL_free(title_latin1);
+		char *title_latin1 = SDL_iconv_utf8_latin1((char *)title);
+		if ( !title_latin1 ) {
+			SDL_OutOfMemory();
+			return;
 		}
-		pXSetWMName(SDL_Display, WMwindow, &titleprop);
-		pXFree(titleprop.value);
+		status = pXStringListToTextProperty(&title_latin1, 1, &titleprop);
+		SDL_free(title_latin1);
+		if ( status ) {
+			pXSetTextProperty(SDL_Display, WMwindow, &titleprop, XA_WM_NAME);
+			pXFree(titleprop.value);
+		}
+#ifdef X_HAVE_UTF8_STRING
+		status = pXutf8TextListToTextProperty(SDL_Display,
+				(char **)&title, 1, XUTF8StringStyle, &titleprop);
+		if ( status == Success ) {
+			pXSetTextProperty(SDL_Display, WMwindow, &titleprop, _NET_WM_NAME);
+			pXFree(titleprop.value);
+		}
+#endif
 	}
 	if ( icon != NULL ) {
-		int error = XLocaleNotSupported;
-#ifdef X_HAVE_UTF8_STRING
-		error = pXutf8TextListToTextProperty(SDL_Display,
-				(char **)&icon, 1, XUTF8StringStyle, &iconprop);
-#endif
-		if ( error != Success ) {
-			char *icon_latin1 = SDL_iconv_utf8_latin1((char *)title);
-			if ( !icon_latin1 ) {
-				SDL_OutOfMemory();
-				return;
-			}
-			pXStringListToTextProperty(&icon_latin1, 1, &iconprop);
-			SDL_free(icon_latin1);
+		char *icon_latin1 = SDL_iconv_utf8_latin1((char *)icon);
+		if ( !icon_latin1 ) {
+			SDL_OutOfMemory();
+			return;
 		}
-		pXSetWMIconName(SDL_Display, WMwindow, &iconprop);
-		pXFree(iconprop.value);
+		status = pXStringListToTextProperty(&icon_latin1, 1, &iconprop);
+		SDL_free(icon_latin1);
+		if ( status ) {
+			pXSetTextProperty(SDL_Display, WMwindow, &iconprop, XA_WM_ICON_NAME);
+			pXFree(iconprop.value);
+		}
+#ifdef X_HAVE_UTF8_STRING
+		status = pXutf8TextListToTextProperty(SDL_Display,
+				(char **)&icon, 1, XUTF8StringStyle, &iconprop);
+		if ( status == Success ) {
+			pXSetTextProperty(SDL_Display, WMwindow, &iconprop, _NET_WM_ICON_NAME);
+			pXFree(iconprop.value);
+		}
+#endif
 	}
 	pXSync(SDL_Display, False);