diff --git a/packages/react/src/ReactElementValidator.js b/packages/react/src/ReactElementValidator.js
index 2142c4783e3b..35dc391f435a 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/ReactElementValidator.js
+++ b/packages/react/src/ReactElementValidator.js
@@ -16,7 +16,11 @@ import lowPriorityWarning from 'shared/lowPriorityWarning';
 import describeComponentFrame from 'shared/describeComponentFrame';
 import isValidElementType from 'shared/isValidElementType';
 import getComponentName from 'shared/getComponentName';
-import {getIteratorFn, REACT_FRAGMENT_TYPE} from 'shared/ReactSymbols';
+import {
+  getIteratorFn,
+  REACT_FORWARD_REF_TYPE,
+  REACT_FRAGMENT_TYPE,
+} from 'shared/ReactSymbols';
 import checkPropTypes from 'prop-types/checkPropTypes';
 import warning from 'fbjs/lib/warning';
 
@@ -42,10 +46,20 @@ if (__DEV__) {
       return '#text';
     } else if (typeof element.type === 'string') {
       return element.type;
-    } else if (element.type === REACT_FRAGMENT_TYPE) {
+    }
+
+    const type = element.type;
+    if (type === REACT_FRAGMENT_TYPE) {
       return 'React.Fragment';
+    } else if (
+      typeof type === 'object' &&
+      type !== null &&
+      type.$$typeof === REACT_FORWARD_REF_TYPE
+    ) {
+      const functionName = type.render.displayName || type.render.name || '';
+      return functionName !== '' ? `ForwardRef(${functionName})` : 'ForwardRef';
     } else {
-      return element.type.displayName || element.type.name || 'Unknown';
+      return type.displayName || type.name || 'Unknown';
     }
   };
 
@@ -213,20 +227,29 @@ function validateChildKeys(node, parentType) {
  * @param {ReactElement} element
  */
 function validatePropTypes(element) {
-  const componentClass = element.type;
-  if (typeof componentClass !== 'function') {
+  const type = element.type;
+  let name, propTypes;
+  if (typeof type === 'function') {
+    // Class or functional component
+    name = type.displayName || type.name;
+    propTypes = type.propTypes;
+  } else if (
+    typeof type === 'object' &&
+    type !== null &&
+    type.$$typeof === REACT_FORWARD_REF_TYPE
+  ) {
+    // ForwardRef
+    const functionName = type.render.displayName || type.render.name || '';
+    name = functionName !== '' ? `ForwardRef(${functionName})` : 'ForwardRef';
+    propTypes = type.propTypes;
+  } else {
     return;
   }
-  const name = componentClass.displayName || componentClass.name;
-  const propTypes = componentClass.propTypes;
   if (propTypes) {
     currentlyValidatingElement = element;
     checkPropTypes(propTypes, element.props, 'prop', name, getStackAddendum);
     currentlyValidatingElement = null;
-  } else if (
-    componentClass.PropTypes !== undefined &&
-    !propTypesMisspellWarningShown
-  ) {
+  } else if (type.PropTypes !== undefined && !propTypesMisspellWarningShown) {
     propTypesMisspellWarningShown = true;
     warning(
       false,
@@ -234,9 +257,9 @@ function validatePropTypes(element) {
       name || 'Unknown',
     );
   }
-  if (typeof componentClass.getDefaultProps === 'function') {
+  if (typeof type.getDefaultProps === 'function') {
     warning(
-      componentClass.getDefaultProps.isReactClassApproved,
+      type.getDefaultProps.isReactClassApproved,
       'getDefaultProps is only used on classic React.createClass ' +
         'definitions. Use a static property named `defaultProps` instead.',
     );
diff --git a/packages/react/src/__tests__/forwardRef-test.internal.js b/packages/react/src/__tests__/forwardRef-test.internal.js
index a578ae73680f..358ed49e04b3 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/__tests__/forwardRef-test.internal.js
+++ b/packages/react/src/__tests__/forwardRef-test.internal.js
@@ -94,31 +94,6 @@ describe('forwardRef', () => {
     expect(ref.current instanceof Child).toBe(true);
   });
 
-  it('should update refs when switching between children', () => {
-    function FunctionalComponent({forwardedRef, setRefOnDiv}) {
-      return (
-        <section>
-          <div ref={setRefOnDiv ? forwardedRef : null}>First</div>
-          <span ref={setRefOnDiv ? null : forwardedRef}>Second</span>
-        </section>
-      );
-    }
-
-    const RefForwardingComponent = React.forwardRef((props, ref) => (
-      <FunctionalComponent {...props} forwardedRef={ref} />
-    ));
-
-    const ref = React.createRef();
-
-    ReactNoop.render(<RefForwardingComponent ref={ref} setRefOnDiv={true} />);
-    ReactNoop.flush();
-    expect(ref.current.type).toBe('div');
-
-    ReactNoop.render(<RefForwardingComponent ref={ref} setRefOnDiv={false} />);
-    ReactNoop.flush();
-    expect(ref.current.type).toBe('span');
-  });
-
   it('should maintain child instance and ref through updates', () => {
     class Child extends React.Component {
       constructor(props) {
@@ -206,32 +181,6 @@ describe('forwardRef', () => {
     expect(ref.current).toBe(null);
   });
 
-  it('should support rendering null', () => {
-    const RefForwardingComponent = React.forwardRef((props, ref) => null);
-
-    const ref = React.createRef();
-
-    ReactNoop.render(<RefForwardingComponent ref={ref} />);
-    ReactNoop.flush();
-    expect(ref.current).toBe(null);
-  });
-
-  it('should support rendering null for multiple children', () => {
-    const RefForwardingComponent = React.forwardRef((props, ref) => null);
-
-    const ref = React.createRef();
-
-    ReactNoop.render(
-      <div>
-        <div />
-        <RefForwardingComponent ref={ref} />
-        <div />
-      </div>,
-    );
-    ReactNoop.flush();
-    expect(ref.current).toBe(null);
-  });
-
   it('should not re-run the render callback on a deep setState', () => {
     let inst;
 
@@ -264,43 +213,4 @@ describe('forwardRef', () => {
     inst.setState({});
     expect(ReactNoop.flush()).toEqual(['Inner']);
   });
-
-  it('should warn if not provided a callback during creation', () => {
-    expect(() => React.forwardRef(undefined)).toWarnDev(
-      'forwardRef requires a render function but was given undefined.',
-    );
-    expect(() => React.forwardRef(null)).toWarnDev(
-      'forwardRef requires a render function but was given null.',
-    );
-    expect(() => React.forwardRef('foo')).toWarnDev(
-      'forwardRef requires a render function but was given string.',
-    );
-  });
-
-  it('should warn if no render function is provided', () => {
-    expect(React.forwardRef).toWarnDev(
-      'forwardRef requires a render function but was given undefined.',
-    );
-  });
-
-  it('should warn if the render function provided has propTypes or defaultProps attributes', () => {
-    function renderWithPropTypes() {
-      return null;
-    }
-    renderWithPropTypes.propTypes = {};
-
-    function renderWithDefaultProps() {
-      return null;
-    }
-    renderWithDefaultProps.defaultProps = {};
-
-    expect(() => React.forwardRef(renderWithPropTypes)).toWarnDev(
-      'forwardRef render functions do not support propTypes or defaultProps. ' +
-        'Did you accidentally pass a React component?',
-    );
-    expect(() => React.forwardRef(renderWithDefaultProps)).toWarnDev(
-      'forwardRef render functions do not support propTypes or defaultProps. ' +
-        'Did you accidentally pass a React component?',
-    );
-  });
 });
diff --git a/packages/react/src/__tests__/forwardRef-test.js b/packages/react/src/__tests__/forwardRef-test.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..aa1cd160d5d1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/react/src/__tests__/forwardRef-test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,158 @@
+/**
+ * Copyright (c) 2013-present, Facebook, Inc.
+ *
+ * This source code is licensed under the MIT license found in the
+ * LICENSE file in the root directory of this source tree.
+ *
+ * @emails react-core
+ */
+
+'use strict';
+
+describe('forwardRef', () => {
+  let PropTypes;
+  let React;
+  let ReactNoop;
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    jest.resetModules();
+    PropTypes = require('prop-types');
+    React = require('react');
+    ReactNoop = require('react-noop-renderer');
+  });
+
+  it('should update refs when switching between children', () => {
+    function FunctionalComponent({forwardedRef, setRefOnDiv}) {
+      return (
+        <section>
+          <div ref={setRefOnDiv ? forwardedRef : null}>First</div>
+          <span ref={setRefOnDiv ? null : forwardedRef}>Second</span>
+        </section>
+      );
+    }
+
+    const RefForwardingComponent = React.forwardRef((props, ref) => (
+      <FunctionalComponent {...props} forwardedRef={ref} />
+    ));
+
+    const ref = React.createRef();
+
+    ReactNoop.render(<RefForwardingComponent ref={ref} setRefOnDiv={true} />);
+    ReactNoop.flush();
+    expect(ref.current.type).toBe('div');
+
+    ReactNoop.render(<RefForwardingComponent ref={ref} setRefOnDiv={false} />);
+    ReactNoop.flush();
+    expect(ref.current.type).toBe('span');
+  });
+
+  it('should support rendering null', () => {
+    const RefForwardingComponent = React.forwardRef((props, ref) => null);
+
+    const ref = React.createRef();
+
+    ReactNoop.render(<RefForwardingComponent ref={ref} />);
+    ReactNoop.flush();
+    expect(ref.current).toBe(null);
+  });
+
+  it('should support rendering null for multiple children', () => {
+    const RefForwardingComponent = React.forwardRef((props, ref) => null);
+
+    const ref = React.createRef();
+
+    ReactNoop.render(
+      <div>
+        <div />
+        <RefForwardingComponent ref={ref} />
+        <div />
+      </div>,
+    );
+    ReactNoop.flush();
+    expect(ref.current).toBe(null);
+  });
+
+  it('should support propTypes and defaultProps', () => {
+    function FunctionalComponent({forwardedRef, optional, required}) {
+      return (
+        <div ref={forwardedRef}>
+          {optional}
+          {required}
+        </div>
+      );
+    }
+
+    const RefForwardingComponent = React.forwardRef(function NamedFunction(
+      props,
+      ref,
+    ) {
+      return <FunctionalComponent {...props} forwardedRef={ref} />;
+    });
+    RefForwardingComponent.propTypes = {
+      optional: PropTypes.string,
+      required: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
+    };
+    RefForwardingComponent.defaultProps = {
+      optional: 'default',
+    };
+
+    const ref = React.createRef();
+
+    ReactNoop.render(
+      <RefForwardingComponent ref={ref} optional="foo" required="bar" />,
+    );
+    ReactNoop.flush();
+    expect(ref.current.children).toEqual([{text: 'foo'}, {text: 'bar'}]);
+
+    ReactNoop.render(<RefForwardingComponent ref={ref} required="foo" />);
+    ReactNoop.flush();
+    expect(ref.current.children).toEqual([{text: 'default'}, {text: 'foo'}]);
+
+    expect(() =>
+      ReactNoop.render(<RefForwardingComponent ref={ref} optional="foo" />),
+    ).toWarnDev(
+      'Warning: Failed prop type: The prop `required` is marked as required in ' +
+        '`ForwardRef(NamedFunction)`, but its value is `undefined`.\n' +
+        '    in ForwardRef(NamedFunction) (at **)',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('should warn if not provided a callback during creation', () => {
+    expect(() => React.forwardRef(undefined)).toWarnDev(
+      'forwardRef requires a render function but was given undefined.',
+    );
+    expect(() => React.forwardRef(null)).toWarnDev(
+      'forwardRef requires a render function but was given null.',
+    );
+    expect(() => React.forwardRef('foo')).toWarnDev(
+      'forwardRef requires a render function but was given string.',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('should warn if no render function is provided', () => {
+    expect(React.forwardRef).toWarnDev(
+      'forwardRef requires a render function but was given undefined.',
+    );
+  });
+
+  it('should warn if the render function provided has propTypes or defaultProps attributes', () => {
+    function renderWithPropTypes() {
+      return null;
+    }
+    renderWithPropTypes.propTypes = {};
+
+    function renderWithDefaultProps() {
+      return null;
+    }
+    renderWithDefaultProps.defaultProps = {};
+
+    expect(() => React.forwardRef(renderWithPropTypes)).toWarnDev(
+      'forwardRef render functions do not support propTypes or defaultProps. ' +
+        'Did you accidentally pass a React component?',
+    );
+    expect(() => React.forwardRef(renderWithDefaultProps)).toWarnDev(
+      'forwardRef render functions do not support propTypes or defaultProps. ' +
+        'Did you accidentally pass a React component?',
+    );
+  });
+});