diff --git a/RELEASE_NOTES.md b/RELEASE_NOTES.md
index 865d6c7..cdd3c49 100644
--- a/RELEASE_NOTES.md
+++ b/RELEASE_NOTES.md
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 ## Unreleased
 
+* Enforce the 255-octet name limit (RFC 1035 Section 2.3.4, RFC 2181 Section 11) against the wire length rather than the dotted presentation length: names of 256 and 257 wire octets were accepted and encoded into messages, and now raise ResolvError
 * Add support for SVCB (type 64) and HTTPS (type 65) resource records - RFC 9460, including zone file parsing with TargetName origin resolution
   * Recognises the registered SvcParamKey mnemonics `mandatory`, `alpn`, `no-default-alpn`, `port`, `ipv4hint`, `ipv6hint` (RFC 9460), `ech` (RFC 9848), `dohpath` (RFC 9461), `ohttp` (RFC 9540) and `docpath` (RFC 9953). Any other key reads and writes as `keyNNNNN`
 * **Breaking (text output only)** - `Dnsruby::IPv6#to_s` and `#inspect` now emit the RFC 5952 canonical form: lowercase hex, no leading zeros, and `::` for the longest run of all-zero fields (never a single field)
diff --git a/lib/dnsruby/name.rb b/lib/dnsruby/name.rb
index e059467..7101140 100644
--- a/lib/dnsruby/name.rb
+++ b/lib/dnsruby/name.rb
@@ -93,7 +93,10 @@ def self.split(name)
     # This method should only be called internally.
     # Use Name::create to create a new Name
     def initialize(labels, absolute=true) #:nodoc: all
-      total_length=labels.length-1
+      # The 255-octet limit (RFC 1035 section 2.3.4, RFC 2181 section 11) is
+      # on the wire form, so count each label's length octet, plus the root's
+      # zero octet.
+      total_length=labels.length+1
       labels.each do |l|
         if (!l.kind_of?Label)
           raise ArgumentError.new("Name::new called with non-labels. Use Name::create instead?")
diff --git a/test/tc_name.rb b/test/tc_name.rb
index 9470020..2dbb31a 100644
--- a/test/tc_name.rb
+++ b/test/tc_name.rb
@@ -20,6 +20,11 @@ class TestName < Minitest::Test
 
   include Dnsruby
 
+  # Names on either side of the 255-octet wire limit: 249 octets of label text
+  # in 5 labels, plus a length octet each and the root's zero octet, is 255.
+  AT_LIMIT_NAME = "#{'a' * 63}.#{'b' * 63}.#{'c' * 63}.#{'d' * 59}.e."
+  OVER_LIMIT_NAME = "#{'a' * 63}.#{'b' * 63}.#{'c' * 63}.#{'d' * 60}.e."
+
   def test_label_length
     Name::Label.set_max_length(Name::Label::MaxLabelLength) # Other tests may have changed this
     #  Test max label length = 63
@@ -30,13 +35,29 @@ def test_label_length
     end
   end
 
+  def wire_length(name)
+    MessageEncoder.new { |msg| msg.put_name(name, true) }.to_s.length
+  end
+
+  # Test max name length=255. The limit is on the wire form, two octets more
+  # than the dotted presentation form without its trailing dot.
   def test_name_length
-    #  Test max name length=255
-    begin
-      Name.create("1234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123456789012345678901234567890123.com")
-      assert(false, "Name of length > 255 allowed")
-    rescue ResolvError
-    end
+    assert_equal(255, wire_length(Name.create(AT_LIMIT_NAME)))
+
+    error = assert_raises(ResolvError) { Name.create(OVER_LIMIT_NAME) }
+    assert_match(/Name length is 256,/, error.message)
+  end
+
+  # An oversized name must not reach the wire through Message either, and a
+  # name right at the limit must still survive the round trip.
+  def test_name_length_in_message
+    assert_raises(ResolvError) { Message.new(OVER_LIMIT_NAME, "A") }
+
+    message = Message.new(AT_LIMIT_NAME, "A")
+    message.add_answer(RR.create("#{AT_LIMIT_NAME} 3600 IN NS #{AT_LIMIT_NAME}"))
+    decoded = Message.decode(message.encode)
+    assert_equal(AT_LIMIT_NAME, decoded.question[0].qname.to_s + ".")
+    assert_equal(AT_LIMIT_NAME, decoded.answer[0].domainname.to_s + ".")
   end
 
   def test_absolute