diff --git a/core/includes/config.inc b/core/includes/config.inc
index b42bd39..ac24e36 100644
--- a/core/includes/config.inc
+++ b/core/includes/config.inc
@@ -181,7 +181,8 @@ function config_sync_get_changes(StorageInterface $source_storage, StorageInterf
 function config_sync_changes(array $config_changes, StorageInterface $source_storage, StorageInterface $target_storage) {
   foreach (array('delete', 'create', 'change') as $op) {
     foreach ($config_changes[$op] as $name) {
-      Config::validateNamespace($name);
+      // Validate the configuration object name before importing it.
+      Config::validateName($name);
       if ($op == 'delete') {
         $target_storage->delete($name);
       }
@@ -252,7 +253,8 @@ function config_import_invoke_owner(array $config_changes, StorageInterface $sou
   // handle dependencies correctly.
   foreach (array('delete', 'create', 'change') as $op) {
     foreach ($config_changes[$op] as $key => $name) {
-      Config::validateNamespace($name);
+      // Validate the configuration object name before importing it.
+      Config::validateName($name);
       // Extract owner from configuration object name.
       $module = strtok($name, '.');
       // Check whether the module implements hook_config_import() and ask it to
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/Config.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/Config.php
index 8a12fce..b345da6 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/Config.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/Config.php
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@
 namespace Drupal\Core\Config;
 
 use Drupal\Component\Utility\NestedArray;
-use Drupal\Core\Config\ConfigException;
+use Drupal\Core\Config\ConfigNameException;
 use Symfony\Component\EventDispatcher\EventDispatcher;
 
 /**
@@ -66,6 +66,18 @@ class Config {
   protected $eventDispatcher;
 
   /**
+   * The maximum length of a configuration object name.
+   *
+   * Many filesystems (including HFS, NTFS, and ext4) have a maximum file name
+   * length of 255 characters. To ensure that no configuration objects
+   * incompatible with this limitation are created, we enforce a maximum name
+   * length of 250 characters (leaving 5 characters for the file extension).
+   *
+   * @see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_file_systems
+   */
+  const MAX_NAME_LENGTH = 250;
+
+  /**
    * Constructs a configuration object.
    *
    * @param string $name
@@ -348,9 +360,8 @@ public function load() {
    *   The configuration object.
    */
   public function save() {
-    // All configuration objects need to be namespaced by extension, as it would
-    // be impossible to maintain them otherwise.
-    $this->validateNamespace($this->name);
+    // Validate the configuration object name before saving.
+    $this->validateName($this->name);
     $this->storage->write($this->name, $this->data);
     $this->isNew = FALSE;
     $this->notify('save');
@@ -422,13 +433,31 @@ public function merge(array $data_to_merge) {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Validates that a configuration object is namespaced by extension.
+   * Validates the configuration object name.
+   *
+   * @throws Drupal\Core\Config\ConfigNameException
    *
-   * @throws Drupal\Core\Config\ConfigException
+   * @see \Drupal\Core\Config\Config::MAX_NAME_LENGTH
    */
-  public static function validateNamespace($name) {
+  public static function validateName($name) {
+    // The configuration object name must include the owner namespace.
     if (strpos($name, '.') === FALSE) {
-      throw new ConfigException(format_string('Missing namespace in Config name @name', array('@name' => $name)));
+      throw new ConfigNameException(format_string(
+        'Missing namespace in Config object name %name',
+        array(
+          '%name' => $name,
+        )
+      ));
+    }
+    // The object name must be fewer than Config::MAX_NAME_LENGTH characters.
+    if (strlen($this->name) > self::MAX_NAME_LENGTH) {
+      throw new ConfigNameException(format_string(
+        'Config object name %name is longer than @max allowed characters',
+        array(
+          '%name' => $name,
+          '@max' => self::MAX_NAME_LENGTH,
+        )
+      ));
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/ConfigNameException.php b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/ConfigNameException.php
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..f02f227
--- /dev/null
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal/Core/Config/ConfigNameException.php
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+<?php
+
+/**
+ * Contains \Drupal\Core\Config\ConfigNameException.
+ */
+
+namespace Drupal\Core\Config;
+
+/**
+ * Defines an exception thrown when a config object name is invalid.
+ */
+class ConfigNameException extends ConfigException {}
diff --git a/core/modules/config/lib/Drupal/config/Tests/ConfigCRUDTest.php b/core/modules/config/lib/Drupal/config/Tests/ConfigCRUDTest.php
index a948a3a..a4a37db 100644
--- a/core/modules/config/lib/Drupal/config/Tests/ConfigCRUDTest.php
+++ b/core/modules/config/lib/Drupal/config/Tests/ConfigCRUDTest.php
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 
 namespace Drupal\config\Tests;
 
-use Drupal\Core\Config\ConfigException;
+use Drupal\Core\Config\ConfigNameException;
 use Drupal\simpletest\DrupalUnitTestBase;
 
 /**
@@ -105,27 +105,43 @@ function testCRUD() {
   }
 
   /**
-   * Tests saving a config object without a namespace.
+   * Tests the validation of configuration object names.
    */
-  function testNamespace() {
+  function testNameValidation() {
+    // Try to save an object name with no namespace.
     $name = 'nonamespace';
+    $message = 'Expected ConfigNameException was thrown for a name without a namespace.';
     try {
       $config = config($name);
       $config->save();
-      $this->fail('Expected ConfigException was not thrown.');
+      $this->fail($message);
     }
     catch (ConfigException $e) {
-      $this->pass('Expected ConfigException was thrown.');
+      $this->pass($message);
     }
 
+    // Try to save an object with a name longer than 250 characters.
+    $name = 'config_test.herman_melville.moby_dick_or_the_whale.harper_1851.now_small_fowls_flew_screaming_over_the_yet_yawning_gulf_a_sullen_white_surf_beat_against_its_steep_sides_then_all_collapsed_and_the_great_shroud_of_the_sea_rolled_on_as_it_rolled_five_thousand_years_ago';
+    $message = 'Expected ConfigNameException was thrown for a name longer than Config::MAX_NAME_LENGTH.'
+    try {
+      $config = config($name);
+      $config->save();
+      $this->fail($message);
+    }
+    catch (ConfigNameException $e) {
+      $this->pass($message);
+    }
+
+    // Try to save a valid object name.
     $name = 'config.namespace';
+    $message = 'ConfigNameException was not thrown for a valid object name.';
     try {
       $config = config($name);
       $config->save();
-      $this->pass('ConfigException was not thrown.');
+      $this->pass($message);
     }
     catch (ConfigException $e) {
-      $this->fail('ConfigException was thrown.');
+      $this->fail($message);
     }
   }