diff --git a/bids-validator/utils/issues/list.js b/bids-validator/utils/issues/list.js
index d9506ecbf..30f71011d 100644
--- a/bids-validator/utils/issues/list.js
+++ b/bids-validator/utils/issues/list.js
@@ -622,6 +622,12 @@ export default {
     reason:
       'This dataset contains remote files. If you would like to validate with remote files, use the --remoteFiles option.',
   },
+  115: {
+    key: 'EMPTY_DATASET_NAME',
+    severity: 'warning',
+    reason:
+      'The Name field of dataset_description.json is present but empty of visible characters.',
+  },
   123: {
     key: 'INVALID JSON ENCODING',
     severity: 'error',
diff --git a/bids-validator/validators/bids/__tests__/checkDatasetDescription.spec.js b/bids-validator/validators/bids/__tests__/checkDatasetDescription.spec.js
index 337a0d108..347723c5c 100644
--- a/bids-validator/validators/bids/__tests__/checkDatasetDescription.spec.js
+++ b/bids-validator/validators/bids/__tests__/checkDatasetDescription.spec.js
@@ -2,16 +2,55 @@ import { assert } from 'chai'
 import checkDatasetDescription from '../checkDatasetDescription'
 
 describe('checkDatasetDescription', () => {
-  describe('checkAuthorField', () => {
-    it('returns no issues with valid Authors field', () => {
+  describe('checkNameAndAuthorsFields', () => {
+    it('returns no issues with valid Name and Authors field', () => {
+      const validJsonContentsDict = {
+        '/dataset_description.json': {
+          Name: 'Electric Boots',
+          Authors: ['Benny', 'the Jets'],
+        },
+      }
+      const issues = checkDatasetDescription(validJsonContentsDict)
+      assert.lengthOf(issues, 0)
+    })
+  })
+  describe('checkNameField', () => {
+    it('returns code 115 when Name is empty', () => {
+      const invalidJsonContentsDict = {
+        '/dataset_description.json': {
+          Name: '',
+        },
+      }
+      const issues = checkDatasetDescription(invalidJsonContentsDict)
+      assert(
+        issues.findIndex((issue) => issue.code === 115) > -1,
+        'issues include a code 115',
+      )
+    })
+    it('returns code 115 when name only contains whitespace', () => {
+      const invalidJsonContentsDict = {
+        '/dataset_description.json': {
+          Name: ' \t\r\n\f\v\u2003',
+        },
+      }
+      const issues = checkDatasetDescription(invalidJsonContentsDict)
+      assert(
+        issues.findIndex((issue) => issue.code === 115) > -1,
+        'issues include a code 115',
+      )
+    })
+    it('returns no issues with one non-whitespace character', () => {
       const validJsonContentsDict = {
         '/dataset_description.json': {
+          Name: '     \u2708     ',
           Authors: ['Benny', 'the Jets'],
         },
       }
       const issues = checkDatasetDescription(validJsonContentsDict)
       assert.lengthOf(issues, 0)
     })
+  })
+  describe('checkAuthorField', () => {
     it('returns code 102 when there is only one author present', () => {
       const invalidJsonContentsDict = {
         '/dataset_description.json': {
diff --git a/bids-validator/validators/bids/checkDatasetDescription.js b/bids-validator/validators/bids/checkDatasetDescription.js
index 68db9f4c1..87f730a88 100644
--- a/bids-validator/validators/bids/checkDatasetDescription.js
+++ b/bids-validator/validators/bids/checkDatasetDescription.js
@@ -15,8 +15,9 @@ const checkDatasetDescription = (jsonContentsDict) => {
   } else {
     const datasetDescription = jsonContentsDict['/dataset_description.json']
 
-    // check to ensure that the dataset description Authors are
+    // check to ensure that the dataset description fields are
     // properly formatted
+    issues = issues.concat(checkNameField(datasetDescription.Name))
     issues = issues.concat(checkAuthorField(datasetDescription.Authors))
 
     // if genetic info json present ensure mandatory GeneticDataset present
@@ -33,6 +34,18 @@ const checkDatasetDescription = (jsonContentsDict) => {
   return issues
 }
 
+const checkNameField = (name) => {
+  const issues = []
+  // missing name will be caught by validation (later)
+  if (name !== undefined) {
+    const nonws = /\S/
+    if (!name.match(nonws)) {
+      issues.push(new Issue({ code: 115 }))
+    }
+  }
+  return issues
+}
+
 const checkAuthorField = (authors) => {
   const issues = []
   // because this test happens before schema validation,