diff --git a/git-repository/src/clone/fetch/util.rs b/git-repository/src/clone/fetch/util.rs
index ccbd0909f7..8b7ddcddb4 100644
--- a/git-repository/src/clone/fetch/util.rs
+++ b/git-repository/src/clone/fetch/util.rs
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ pub fn update_head(
         None => return Ok(()),
     };
 
-    let name: git_ref::FullName = "HEAD".try_into().expect("valid");
+    let head: git_ref::FullName = "HEAD".try_into().expect("valid");
     let reflog_message = || LogChange {
         mode: RefLog::AndReference,
         force_create_reflog: false,
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ pub fn update_head(
                                 expected: PreviousValue::Any,
                                 new: Target::Symbolic(referent),
                             },
-                            name: name.clone(),
+                            name: head.clone(),
                             deref: false,
                         },
                     ],
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ pub fn update_head(
                     expected: PreviousValue::Any,
                     new: Target::Peeled(head_peeled_id.to_owned()),
                 },
-                name,
+                name: head,
                 deref: false,
             })?;
         }
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ pub fn update_head(
                     expected: PreviousValue::Any,
                     new: Target::Peeled(head_peeled_id.to_owned()),
                 },
-                name,
+                name: head,
                 deref: false,
             })?;
         }
diff --git a/git-repository/src/remote/fetch.rs b/git-repository/src/remote/fetch.rs
index 437db38625..9227f5d9e8 100644
--- a/git-repository/src/remote/fetch.rs
+++ b/git-repository/src/remote/fetch.rs
@@ -53,6 +53,7 @@ impl Source {
         match self {
             Source::ObjectId(_) => None,
             Source::Ref(r) => match r {
+                git_protocol::fetch::Ref::Unborn { target: _ } => Some("HEAD".into()),
                 git_protocol::fetch::Ref::Symbolic { full_ref_name, .. }
                 | git_protocol::fetch::Ref::Direct { full_ref_name, .. }
                 | git_protocol::fetch::Ref::Peeled { full_ref_name, .. } => Some(full_ref_name.as_ref()),
diff --git a/git-repository/tests/clone/mod.rs b/git-repository/tests/clone/mod.rs
index 9e6c96726d..8ac07f2467 100644
--- a/git-repository/tests/clone/mod.rs
+++ b/git-repository/tests/clone/mod.rs
@@ -193,19 +193,41 @@ mod blocking_io {
     }
 
     #[test]
+    #[ignore]
     fn fetch_and_checkout_empty_remote_repo() -> crate::Result {
         let tmp = git_testtools::tempfile::TempDir::new()?;
         let mut prepare = git::prepare_clone(
             git_testtools::scripted_fixture_repo_read_only("make_empty_repo.sh")?,
             tmp.path(),
         )?;
-        let (mut checkout, _out) = prepare
+        let (mut checkout, out) = prepare
             .fetch_then_checkout(git::progress::Discard, &std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool::default())
             .unwrap();
         let (repo, _) = checkout.main_worktree(git::progress::Discard, &std::sync::atomic::AtomicBool::default())?;
 
         assert!(!repo.index_path().is_file(), "newly initialized repos have no index");
         assert!(repo.head()?.is_unborn());
+        if out
+            .ref_map
+            .handshake
+            .capabilities
+            .capability("ls-refs")
+            .expect("has ls-refs")
+            .supports("unborn")
+            == Some(true)
+        {
+            assert_eq!(
+                repo.head()?.referent_name().expect("present").as_bstr(),
+                "refs/heads/special",
+                "we pick up the name as present on the server, not the one we default to"
+            );
+        } else {
+            assert_eq!(
+                repo.head()?.referent_name().expect("present").as_bstr(),
+                "refs/heads/main",
+                "we simply keep our own post-init HEAD which defaults to the branch name we configured locally"
+            );
+        }
 
         Ok(())
     }
diff --git a/git-repository/tests/fixtures/generated-archives/make_empty_repo.tar.xz b/git-repository/tests/fixtures/generated-archives/make_empty_repo.tar.xz
index 5930eb62ae..7a1592d166 100644
--- a/git-repository/tests/fixtures/generated-archives/make_empty_repo.tar.xz
+++ b/git-repository/tests/fixtures/generated-archives/make_empty_repo.tar.xz
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 version https://git-lfs.github.com/spec/v1
-oid sha256:8c88c509ad1df376844b8a80b003a01c78de79284c4b0cf72fe661ca41f6d303
+oid sha256:875f0aa4a343935bc881d6c595efffeb34063a460239178cf2264e5e44163c2d
 size 9068
diff --git a/git-repository/tests/fixtures/make_empty_repo.sh b/git-repository/tests/fixtures/make_empty_repo.sh
index 5a79561957..2ca9da4d63 100644
--- a/git-repository/tests/fixtures/make_empty_repo.sh
+++ b/git-repository/tests/fixtures/make_empty_repo.sh
@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
 #!/bin/bash
 set -eu -o pipefail
 
-git init -q
+git -c init.defaultBranch=special init -q