diff --git a/libkpod/containerserver.go b/libkpod/containerserver.go
index f2abfe2f..c13cd36f 100644
--- a/libkpod/containerserver.go
+++ b/libkpod/containerserver.go
@@ -2,8 +2,10 @@ package libkpod
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
 	"sync"
 
+	"github.com/Sirupsen/logrus"
 	"github.com/containers/image/types"
 	cstorage "github.com/containers/storage"
 	"github.com/docker/docker/pkg/registrar"
@@ -101,6 +103,28 @@ func (c *ContainerServer) ContainerStateToDisk(ctr *oci.Container) error {
 	return enc.Encode(c.runtime.ContainerStatus(ctr))
 }
 
+// ReserveContainerName holds a name for a container that is being created
+func (c *ContainerServer) ReserveContainerName(id, name string) (string, error) {
+	if err := c.ctrNameIndex.Reserve(name, id); err != nil {
+		if err == registrar.ErrNameReserved {
+			id, err := c.ctrNameIndex.Get(name)
+			if err != nil {
+				logrus.Warnf("conflict, ctr name %q already reserved", name)
+				return "", err
+			}
+			return "", fmt.Errorf("conflict, name %q already reserved for ctr %q", name, id)
+		}
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("error reserving ctr name %s", name)
+	}
+	return name, nil
+}
+
+// ReleaseContainerName releases a container name from the index so that it can
+// be used by other containers
+func (c *ContainerServer) ReleaseContainerName(name string) {
+	c.ctrNameIndex.Release(name)
+}
+
 type containerServerState struct {
 	containers oci.ContainerStorer
 }
diff --git a/server/container_create.go b/server/container_create.go
index c2d4abc7..fafd5940 100644
--- a/server/container_create.go
+++ b/server/container_create.go
@@ -303,7 +303,7 @@ func (s *Server) CreateContainer(ctx context.Context, req *pb.CreateContainerReq
 
 	defer func() {
 		if err != nil {
-			s.releaseContainerName(containerName)
+			s.ReleaseContainerName(containerName)
 		}
 	}()
 
diff --git a/server/container_remove.go b/server/container_remove.go
index c32e4fa0..8e330e60 100644
--- a/server/container_remove.go
+++ b/server/container_remove.go
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ func (s *Server) RemoveContainer(ctx context.Context, req *pb.RemoveContainerReq
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to delete storage for container %s: %v", c.ID(), err)
 	}
 
-	s.releaseContainerName(c.Name())
+	s.ReleaseContainerName(c.Name())
 
 	if err := s.CtrIDIndex().Delete(c.ID()); err != nil {
 		return nil, err
diff --git a/server/naming.go b/server/naming.go
index 0175158b..881b2510 100644
--- a/server/naming.go
+++ b/server/naming.go
@@ -66,7 +66,7 @@ func (s *Server) generateContainerIDandNameForSandbox(sandboxConfig *pb.PodSandb
 		err error
 		id  = stringid.GenerateNonCryptoID()
 	)
-	name, err := s.reserveContainerName(id, makeSandboxContainerName(sandboxConfig))
+	name, err := s.ReserveContainerName(id, makeSandboxContainerName(sandboxConfig))
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", "", err
 	}
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ func (s *Server) generateContainerIDandName(sandboxMetadata *pb.PodSandboxMetada
 		err error
 		id  = stringid.GenerateNonCryptoID()
 	)
-	name, err := s.reserveContainerName(id, makeContainerName(sandboxMetadata, containerConfig))
+	name, err := s.ReserveContainerName(id, makeContainerName(sandboxMetadata, containerConfig))
 	if err != nil {
 		return "", "", err
 	}
diff --git a/server/sandbox_remove.go b/server/sandbox_remove.go
index d9efe7e6..0b22629b 100644
--- a/server/sandbox_remove.go
+++ b/server/sandbox_remove.go
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ func (s *Server) RemovePodSandbox(ctx context.Context, req *pb.RemovePodSandboxR
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to delete container %s in pod sandbox %s: %v", c.Name(), sb.ID(), err)
 		}
 
-		s.releaseContainerName(c.Name())
+		s.ReleaseContainerName(c.Name())
 		s.removeContainer(c)
 		if err := s.CtrIDIndex().Delete(c.ID()); err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to delete container %s in pod sandbox %s from index: %v", c.Name(), sb.ID(), err)
@@ -82,7 +82,7 @@ func (s *Server) RemovePodSandbox(ctx context.Context, req *pb.RemovePodSandboxR
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to remove pod sandbox %s: %v", sb.ID(), err)
 	}
 
-	s.releaseContainerName(podInfraContainer.Name())
+	s.ReleaseContainerName(podInfraContainer.Name())
 	if err := s.CtrIDIndex().Delete(podInfraContainer.ID()); err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to delete infra container %s in pod sandbox %s from index: %v", podInfraContainer.ID(), sb.ID(), err)
 	}
diff --git a/server/sandbox_run.go b/server/sandbox_run.go
index 8f8abe8b..ab04cf2a 100644
--- a/server/sandbox_run.go
+++ b/server/sandbox_run.go
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ func (s *Server) RunPodSandbox(ctx context.Context, req *pb.RunPodSandboxRequest
 
 	defer func() {
 		if err != nil {
-			s.releaseContainerName(containerName)
+			s.ReleaseContainerName(containerName)
 		}
 	}()
 
diff --git a/server/server.go b/server/server.go
index 28ce262f..4e9dbef1 100644
--- a/server/server.go
+++ b/server/server.go
@@ -103,14 +103,14 @@ func (s *Server) loadContainer(id string) error {
 		return err
 	}
 	name := m.Annotations[annotations.Name]
-	name, err = s.reserveContainerName(id, name)
+	name, err = s.ReserveContainerName(id, name)
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 
 	defer func() {
 		if err != nil {
-			s.releaseContainerName(name)
+			s.ReleaseContainerName(name)
 		}
 	}()
 
@@ -256,13 +256,13 @@ func (s *Server) loadSandbox(id string) error {
 		return err
 	}
 
-	cname, err := s.reserveContainerName(m.Annotations[annotations.ContainerID], m.Annotations[annotations.ContainerName])
+	cname, err := s.ReserveContainerName(m.Annotations[annotations.ContainerID], m.Annotations[annotations.ContainerName])
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
 	defer func() {
 		if err != nil {
-			s.releaseContainerName(cname)
+			s.ReleaseContainerName(cname)
 		}
 	}()
 
@@ -384,7 +384,7 @@ func (s *Server) update() error {
 			logrus.Warnf("bad state when getting container removed %+v", removedPodContainer)
 			continue
 		}
-		s.releaseContainerName(c.Name())
+		s.ReleaseContainerName(c.Name())
 		s.removeContainer(c)
 		if err = s.CtrIDIndex().Delete(c.ID()); err != nil {
 			return err
@@ -405,7 +405,7 @@ func (s *Server) update() error {
 			continue
 		}
 		podInfraContainer := sb.InfraContainer()
-		s.releaseContainerName(podInfraContainer.Name())
+		s.ReleaseContainerName(podInfraContainer.Name())
 		s.removeContainer(podInfraContainer)
 		if err = s.CtrIDIndex().Delete(podInfraContainer.ID()); err != nil {
 			return err
@@ -456,25 +456,6 @@ func (s *Server) releasePodName(name string) {
 	s.podNameIndex.Release(name)
 }
 
-func (s *Server) reserveContainerName(id, name string) (string, error) {
-	if err := s.CtrNameIndex().Reserve(name, id); err != nil {
-		if err == registrar.ErrNameReserved {
-			id, err := s.CtrNameIndex().Get(name)
-			if err != nil {
-				logrus.Warnf("conflict, ctr name %q already reserved", name)
-				return "", err
-			}
-			return "", fmt.Errorf("conflict, name %q already reserved for ctr %q", name, id)
-		}
-		return "", fmt.Errorf("error reserving ctr name %s", name)
-	}
-	return name, nil
-}
-
-func (s *Server) releaseContainerName(name string) {
-	s.CtrNameIndex().Release(name)
-}
-
 // cleanupSandboxesOnShutdown Remove all running Sandboxes on system shutdown
 func (s *Server) cleanupSandboxesOnShutdown() {
 	_, err := os.Stat(shutdownFile)