diff --git a/command.js b/command.js
index 0b70d492c..cc02bcf37 100755
--- a/command.js
+++ b/command.js
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ const { readFileSync } = require('fs')
 const configPath = findUp.sync(['.versionrc', '.versionrc.json'])
 const config = configPath ? JSON.parse(readFileSync(configPath)) : {}
 const spec = require('conventional-changelog-config-spec')
-const { START_OF_LAST_RELEASE_PATTERN } = require('./lib/lifecycles/changelog')
 
 const yargs = require('yargs')
   .usage('Usage: $0 [options]')
@@ -89,12 +88,12 @@ const yargs = require('yargs')
   })
   .option('changelogHeader', {
     type: 'string',
-    describe: 'Use a custom header when generating and updating changelog.'
+    describe: '[DEPRECATED] Use a custom header when generating and updating changelog.\nThis option will be removed in the next major version, please use --header.'
   })
   .option('preset', {
     type: 'string',
     default: defaults.preset,
-    describe: 'Commit message guideline preset (default: angular)'
+    describe: 'Commit message guideline preset'
   })
   .check((argv) => {
     if (typeof argv.scripts !== 'object' || Array.isArray(argv.scripts)) {
@@ -112,20 +111,13 @@ const yargs = require('yargs')
   .pkgConf('standard-version')
   .config(config)
   .wrap(97)
-  .check((args) => {
-    if (args.changelogHeader && args.changelogHeader.search(START_OF_LAST_RELEASE_PATTERN) !== -1) {
-      throw Error(`custom changelog header must not match ${START_OF_LAST_RELEASE_PATTERN}`)
-    } else {
-      return true
-    }
-  })
 
 Object.keys(spec.properties).forEach(propertyKey => {
   const property = spec.properties[propertyKey]
   yargs.option(propertyKey, {
     type: property.type,
     describe: property.description,
-    default: property.default,
+    default: defaults[propertyKey] ? defaults[propertyKey] : property.default,
     group: 'Preset Configuration:'
   })
 })
diff --git a/defaults.js b/defaults.js
index 202b8f4d4..6d17dc64b 100644
--- a/defaults.js
+++ b/defaults.js
@@ -23,4 +23,10 @@ Object.keys(spec.properties).forEach(propertyKey => {
   defaults[propertyKey] = property.default
 })
 
+/**
+ * Sets the default for `header` (provided by the spec) for backwards
+ * compatibility. This should be removed in the next major version.
+ */
+defaults.header = '# Changelog\n\nAll notable changes to this project will be documented in this file. See [standard-version](https://github.com/conventional-changelog/standard-version) for commit guidelines.\n'
+
 module.exports = defaults
diff --git a/index.js b/index.js
index e40339887..579160a27 100755
--- a/index.js
+++ b/index.js
@@ -24,6 +24,17 @@ module.exports = function standardVersion (argv) {
     }
   }
 
+  if (argv.changelogHeader) {
+    argv.header = argv.changelogHeader
+    if (!argv.silent) {
+      console.warn('[standard-version]: --changelogHeader will be removed in the next major release. Use --header.')
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (argv.header && argv.header.search(changelog.START_OF_LAST_RELEASE_PATTERN) !== -1) {
+    throw Error(`custom changelog header must not match ${changelog.START_OF_LAST_RELEASE_PATTERN}`)
+  }
+
   let pkg
   bump.pkgFiles.forEach((filename) => {
     if (pkg) return
diff --git a/lib/lifecycles/changelog.js b/lib/lifecycles/changelog.js
index 689ed382c..4a29be11d 100644
--- a/lib/lifecycles/changelog.js
+++ b/lib/lifecycles/changelog.js
@@ -26,7 +26,7 @@ module.exports = Changelog
 function outputChangelog (args, newVersion) {
   return new Promise((resolve, reject) => {
     createIfMissing(args)
-    const header = args.changelogHeader || '# Changelog\n\nAll notable changes to this project will be documented in this file. See [standard-version](https://github.com/conventional-changelog/standard-version) for commit guidelines.\n'
+    const header = args.header
 
     let oldContent = args.dryRun ? '' : fs.readFileSync(args.infile, 'utf-8')
     let oldContentStart = oldContent.search(START_OF_LAST_RELEASE_PATTERN)
diff --git a/test.js b/test.js
index 02b3279ba..7b7488616 100644
--- a/test.js
+++ b/test.js
@@ -233,7 +233,7 @@ describe('cli', function () {
       content.should.not.match(/legacy header format/)
     })
 
-    it('allows for a custom changelog header', function () {
+    it('[DEPRECATED] (--changelogHeader) allows for a custom changelog header', function () {
       fs.writeFileSync('CHANGELOG.md', '', 'utf-8')
       commit('feat: first commit')
       execCli('--changelogHeader="# Pork Chop Log"').code.should.equal(0)
@@ -241,7 +241,7 @@ describe('cli', function () {
       content.should.match(/# Pork Chop Log/)
     })
 
-    it('exits with error if changelog header matches last version search regex', function () {
+    it('[DEPRECATED] (--changelogHeader) exits with error if changelog header matches last version search regex', function () {
       fs.writeFileSync('CHANGELOG.md', '', 'utf-8')
       commit('feat: first commit')
       execCli('--changelogHeader="## 3.0.2"').code.should.equal(1)
@@ -1088,6 +1088,14 @@ describe('standard-version', function () {
       shell.exec('git log --oneline -n1').should.include('1.1.0 is the version.')
     })
 
+    it('--header', function () {
+      fs.writeFileSync('CHANGELOG.md', '', 'utf-8')
+      commit('feat: first commit')
+      execCli('--header="# Welcome to our CHANGELOG.md"').code.should.equal(0)
+      let content = fs.readFileSync('CHANGELOG.md', 'utf-8')
+      content.should.match(/# Welcome to our CHANGELOG.md/)
+    })
+
     it('[LEGACY] supports --message (and single %s replacement)', function () {
       commit('feat: another commit addresses issue #1')
       execCli('--message="V:%s"')