diff --git a/builtin/submodule--helper.c b/builtin/submodule--helper.c
index 6f3bf33e61..cce46450ab 100644
--- a/builtin/submodule--helper.c
+++ b/builtin/submodule--helper.c
@@ -2889,7 +2889,7 @@ cleanup:
 
 static int module_set_url(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 {
-	int quiet = 0;
+	int quiet = 0, ret;
 	const char *newurl;
 	const char *path;
 	char *config_name;
@@ -2901,20 +2901,29 @@ static int module_set_url(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		N_("git submodule set-url [--quiet] <path> <newurl>"),
 		NULL
 	};
+	const struct submodule *sub;
 
 	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, prefix, options, usage, 0);
 
 	if (argc != 2 || !(path = argv[0]) || !(newurl = argv[1]))
 		usage_with_options(usage, options);
 
-	config_name = xstrfmt("submodule.%s.url", path);
+	sub = submodule_from_path(the_repository, null_oid(), path);
 
-	config_set_in_gitmodules_file_gently(config_name, newurl);
-	sync_submodule(path, prefix, NULL, quiet ? OPT_QUIET : 0);
+	if (!sub)
+		die(_("no submodule mapping found in .gitmodules for path '%s'"),
+		    path);
+
+	config_name = xstrfmt("submodule.%s.url", sub->name);
+	ret = config_set_in_gitmodules_file_gently(config_name, newurl);
+
+	if (!ret) {
+		repo_read_gitmodules(the_repository, 0);
+		sync_submodule(sub->path, prefix, NULL, quiet ? OPT_QUIET : 0);
+	}
 
 	free(config_name);
-
-	return 0;
+	return !!ret;
 }
 
 static int module_set_branch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
@@ -2941,6 +2950,7 @@ static int module_set_branch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 		N_("git submodule set-branch [-q|--quiet] (-b|--branch) <branch> <path>"),
 		NULL
 	};
+	const struct submodule *sub;
 
 	argc = parse_options(argc, argv, prefix, options, usage, 0);
 
@@ -2953,7 +2963,13 @@ static int module_set_branch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	if (argc != 1 || !(path = argv[0]))
 		usage_with_options(usage, options);
 
-	config_name = xstrfmt("submodule.%s.branch", path);
+	sub = submodule_from_path(the_repository, null_oid(), path);
+
+	if (!sub)
+		die(_("no submodule mapping found in .gitmodules for path '%s'"),
+		    path);
+
+	config_name = xstrfmt("submodule.%s.branch", sub->name);
 	ret = config_set_in_gitmodules_file_gently(config_name, opt_branch);
 
 	free(config_name);
diff --git a/t/t7419-submodule-set-branch.sh b/t/t7419-submodule-set-branch.sh
index 232065504c..a5d1bc5c54 100755
--- a/t/t7419-submodule-set-branch.sh
+++ b/t/t7419-submodule-set-branch.sh
@@ -11,6 +11,10 @@ as expected.
 
 TEST_PASSES_SANITIZE_LEAK=true
 TEST_NO_CREATE_REPO=1
+
+GIT_TEST_DEFAULT_INITIAL_BRANCH_NAME=main
+export GIT_TEST_DEFAULT_INITIAL_BRANCH_NAME
+
 . ./test-lib.sh
 
 test_expect_success 'setup' '
@@ -27,26 +31,28 @@ test_expect_success 'submodule config cache setup' '
 		git checkout -b topic &&
 		echo b >a &&
 		git add . &&
-		git commit -mb
+		git commit -mb &&
+		git checkout main
 	) &&
 	mkdir super &&
 	(cd super &&
 		git init &&
 		git submodule add ../submodule &&
-		git commit -m "add submodule"
+		git submodule add --name thename ../submodule thepath &&
+		git commit -m "add submodules"
 	)
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'ensure submodule branch is unset' '
 	(cd super &&
-		! grep branch .gitmodules
+		test_cmp_config "" -f .gitmodules --default "" submodule.submodule.branch
 	)
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'test submodule set-branch --branch' '
 	(cd super &&
 		git submodule set-branch --branch topic submodule &&
-		grep "branch = topic" .gitmodules &&
+		test_cmp_config topic -f .gitmodules submodule.submodule.branch &&
 		git submodule update --remote &&
 		cat <<-\EOF >expect &&
 		b
@@ -57,13 +63,12 @@ test_expect_success 'test submodule set-branch --branch' '
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'test submodule set-branch --default' '
-	test_commit -C submodule c &&
 	(cd super &&
 		git submodule set-branch --default submodule &&
-		! grep branch .gitmodules &&
+		test_cmp_config "" -f .gitmodules --default "" submodule.submodule.branch &&
 		git submodule update --remote &&
 		cat <<-\EOF >expect &&
-		c
+		a
 		EOF
 		git -C submodule show -s --pretty=%s >actual &&
 		test_cmp expect actual
@@ -71,10 +76,9 @@ test_expect_success 'test submodule set-branch --default' '
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'test submodule set-branch -b' '
-	test_commit -C submodule b &&
 	(cd super &&
 		git submodule set-branch -b topic submodule &&
-		grep "branch = topic" .gitmodules &&
+		test_cmp_config topic -f .gitmodules submodule.submodule.branch &&
 		git submodule update --remote &&
 		cat <<-\EOF >expect &&
 		b
@@ -85,17 +89,43 @@ test_expect_success 'test submodule set-branch -b' '
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'test submodule set-branch -d' '
-	test_commit -C submodule d &&
 	(cd super &&
 		git submodule set-branch -d submodule &&
-		! grep branch .gitmodules &&
+		test_cmp_config "" -f .gitmodules --default "" submodule.submodule.branch &&
 		git submodule update --remote &&
 		cat <<-\EOF >expect &&
-		d
+		a
 		EOF
 		git -C submodule show -s --pretty=%s >actual &&
 		test_cmp expect actual
 	)
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'test submodule set-branch --branch with named submodule' '
+	(cd super &&
+		git submodule set-branch --branch topic thepath &&
+		test_cmp_config topic -f .gitmodules submodule.thename.branch &&
+		test_cmp_config "" -f .gitmodules --default "" submodule.thepath.branch &&
+		git submodule update --remote &&
+		cat <<-\EOF >expect &&
+		b
+		EOF
+		git -C thepath show -s --pretty=%s >actual &&
+		test_cmp expect actual
+	)
+'
+
+test_expect_success 'test submodule set-branch --default with named submodule' '
+	(cd super &&
+		git submodule set-branch --default thepath &&
+		test_cmp_config "" -f .gitmodules --default "" submodule.thename.branch &&
+		git submodule update --remote &&
+		cat <<-\EOF >expect &&
+		a
+		EOF
+		git -C thepath show -s --pretty=%s >actual &&
+		test_cmp expect actual
+	)
+'
+
 test_done
diff --git a/t/t7420-submodule-set-url.sh b/t/t7420-submodule-set-url.sh
index d6bf62b3ac..bf7f15ee79 100755
--- a/t/t7420-submodule-set-url.sh
+++ b/t/t7420-submodule-set-url.sh
@@ -25,17 +25,26 @@ test_expect_success 'submodule config cache setup' '
 		git add file &&
 		git commit -ma
 	) &&
+	mkdir namedsubmodule &&
+	(
+		cd namedsubmodule &&
+		git init &&
+		echo 1 >file &&
+		git add file &&
+		git commit -m1
+	) &&
 	mkdir super &&
 	(
 		cd super &&
 		git init &&
 		git submodule add ../submodule &&
-		git commit -m "add submodule"
+		git submodule add --name thename ../namedsubmodule thepath &&
+		git commit -m "add submodules"
 	)
 '
 
 test_expect_success 'test submodule set-url' '
-	# add a commit and move the submodule (change the url)
+	# add commits and move the submodules (change the urls)
 	(
 		cd submodule &&
 		echo b >>file &&
@@ -44,15 +53,28 @@ test_expect_success 'test submodule set-url' '
 	) &&
 	mv submodule newsubmodule &&
 
+	(
+		cd namedsubmodule &&
+		echo 2 >>file &&
+		git add file &&
+		git commit -m2
+	) &&
+	mv namedsubmodule newnamedsubmodule &&
+
 	git -C newsubmodule show >expect &&
+	git -C newnamedsubmodule show >>expect &&
 	(
 		cd super &&
 		test_must_fail git submodule update --remote &&
 		git submodule set-url submodule ../newsubmodule &&
-		grep -F "url = ../newsubmodule" .gitmodules &&
+		test_cmp_config ../newsubmodule -f .gitmodules submodule.submodule.url &&
+		git submodule set-url thepath ../newnamedsubmodule &&
+		test_cmp_config ../newnamedsubmodule -f .gitmodules submodule.thename.url &&
+		test_cmp_config "" -f .gitmodules --default "" submodule.thepath.url &&
 		git submodule update --remote
 	) &&
 	git -C super/submodule show >actual &&
+	git -C super/thepath show >>actual &&
 	test_cmp expect actual
 '