diff --git a/builtin/stash.c b/builtin/stash.c
index b12fd6c40f..7cd3ad8aa4 100644
--- a/builtin/stash.c
+++ b/builtin/stash.c
@@ -1372,6 +1372,7 @@ static int do_create_stash(const struct pathspec *ps, struct strbuf *stash_msg_b
 	const char *head_short_sha1 = NULL;
 	const char *branch_ref = NULL;
 	const char *branch_name = "(no branch)";
+	char *branch_name_buf = NULL;
 	struct commit *head_commit = NULL;
 	struct commit_list *parents = NULL;
 	struct strbuf msg = STRBUF_INIT;
@@ -1404,8 +1405,12 @@ static int do_create_stash(const struct pathspec *ps, struct strbuf *stash_msg_b
 
 	branch_ref = refs_resolve_ref_unsafe(get_main_ref_store(the_repository),
 					     "HEAD", 0, NULL, &flags);
-	if (flags & REF_ISSYMREF)
-		skip_prefix(branch_ref, "refs/heads/", &branch_name);
+
+	if (flags & REF_ISSYMREF) {
+		if (skip_prefix(branch_ref, "refs/heads/", &branch_name))
+			branch_name = branch_name_buf = xstrdup(branch_name);
+	}
+
 	head_short_sha1 = repo_find_unique_abbrev(the_repository,
 						  &head_commit->object.oid,
 						  DEFAULT_ABBREV);
@@ -1495,6 +1500,7 @@ done:
 	strbuf_release(&msg);
 	strbuf_release(&untracked_files);
 	free_commit_list(parents);
+	free(branch_name_buf);
 	return ret;
 }
 
diff --git a/t/t3903-stash.sh b/t/t3903-stash.sh
index 2bba3baa10..35b85c7909 100755
--- a/t/t3903-stash.sh
+++ b/t/t3903-stash.sh
@@ -1614,4 +1614,36 @@ test_expect_success 'stash apply reports a locked index' '
 	)
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'submodules does not affect the branch recorded in stash message' '
+	git init sub_project &&
+	(
+		cd sub_project &&
+		echo "Initial content in sub_project" >sub_file.txt &&
+		git add sub_file.txt &&
+		git commit -m "Initial commit in sub_project"
+	) &&
+
+	git init main_project &&
+	(
+		cd main_project &&
+		echo "Initial content in main_project" >main_file.txt &&
+		git add main_file.txt &&
+		git commit -m "Initial commit in main_project" &&
+
+		git -c protocol.file.allow=always submodule add ../sub_project sub &&
+		git commit -m "Added submodule sub_project" &&
+
+		git checkout -b feature_main &&
+		git -C sub checkout -b feature_sub &&
+
+		git checkout -b work_branch &&
+		echo "Important work to be stashed" >work_item.txt &&
+		git add work_item.txt &&
+		git stash push -m "custom stash for work_branch" &&
+
+		git stash list >../actual_stash_list.txt &&
+		grep "On work_branch: custom stash for work_branch" ../actual_stash_list.txt
+	)
+'
+
 test_done