diff --git a/AIPscan/Aggregator/mets_parse_helpers.py b/AIPscan/Aggregator/mets_parse_helpers.py
index 4c81d01e..e42d1e39 100644
--- a/AIPscan/Aggregator/mets_parse_helpers.py
+++ b/AIPscan/Aggregator/mets_parse_helpers.py
@@ -49,31 +49,32 @@ def get_aip_original_name(mets):
     # Negated as we're going to want to remove this length of values.
     NAMESUFFIX = -len("-00000000-0000-0000-0000-000000000000")
 
+    # Other intellectual entities exist in the METS, i.e. for empty
+    # directories. We can identify those with an invalid name prefix.
+    INVALID_NAMEPREFIX = "%transferDirectory%"
+
     NAMESPACES = {u"premis": u"http://www.loc.gov/premis/v3"}
     ELEM_ORIGINAL_NAME_PATTERN = ".//premis:originalName"
 
-    FIRST_DMDSEC = "dmdSec_1"
-
     original_name = ""
     for fsentry in mets.all_files():
-        try:
-            dmdsec = fsentry.dmdsecs[0]
-            if dmdsec.id_string != FIRST_DMDSEC:
-                continue
+        for dmdsec in fsentry.dmdsecs:
             dmd_element = dmdsec.serialize()
             full_name = dmd_element.find(
                 ELEM_ORIGINAL_NAME_PATTERN, namespaces=NAMESPACES
             )
+            if full_name is not None and full_name.text.startswith(INVALID_NAMEPREFIX):
+                # We don't want this value, it will usually represent an
+                # directory entity.
+                continue
             try:
                 original_name = full_name.text[:NAMESUFFIX]
             except AttributeError:
-                pass
-            break
-        except IndexError:
-            pass
+                continue
 
+    # There should be a transfer name in every METS.
     if original_name == "":
-        raise METSError()
+        raise METSError("Cannot locate transfer name in METS")
 
     return original_name
 
diff --git a/AIPscan/Aggregator/tasks.py b/AIPscan/Aggregator/tasks.py
index 4f9ab83d..4950ef4a 100644
--- a/AIPscan/Aggregator/tasks.py
+++ b/AIPscan/Aggregator/tasks.py
@@ -294,7 +294,7 @@ def get_mets(
     except METSError:
         # Some other error with the METS file that we might want to
         # log and act upon.
-        originalName = ""
+        originalName = packageUUID
 
     aip = create_aip_object(
         package_uuid=packageUUID,
diff --git a/AIPscan/Aggregator/tests/test_mets.py b/AIPscan/Aggregator/tests/test_mets.py
index f912f309..16e47e00 100644
--- a/AIPscan/Aggregator/tests/test_mets.py
+++ b/AIPscan/Aggregator/tests/test_mets.py
@@ -13,19 +13,30 @@
 
 
 @pytest.mark.parametrize(
-    "fixture_path, transfer_name",
+    "fixture_path, transfer_name, mets_error",
     [
-        (os.path.join("features_mets", "features-mets.xml"), "myTransfer"),
-        (os.path.join("iso_mets", "iso_mets.xml"), "iso"),
+        (os.path.join("features_mets", "features-mets.xml"), "myTransfer", False),
+        (os.path.join("iso_mets", "iso_mets.xml"), "iso", False),
+        (os.path.join("original_name_mets", "dataverse_example.xml"), "", True),
+        (
+            os.path.join("original_name_mets", "document-empty-dirs.xml"),
+            "empty-dirs",
+            False,
+        ),
     ],
 )
-def test_get_aip_original_name(fixture_path, transfer_name):
+def test_get_aip_original_name(fixture_path, transfer_name, mets_error):
     """Make sure that we can reliably get original name from the METS
     file given we haven't any mets-reader-writer helpers.
     """
     script_dir = os.path.dirname(os.path.realpath(__file__))
     mets_file = os.path.join(script_dir, FIXTURES_DIR, fixture_path)
     mets = metsrw.METSDocument.fromfile(mets_file)
+    if mets_error:
+        # Function should raise an error to work with.
+        with pytest.raises(mets_parse_helpers.METSError):
+            _ = mets_parse_helpers.get_aip_original_name(mets)
+        return
     assert mets_parse_helpers.get_aip_original_name(mets) == transfer_name
     # Test the same works with a string.
     with open(mets_file, "rb") as mets_stream: