diff --git a/builtin/submodule--helper.c b/builtin/submodule--helper.c
index 9e8cdfe1b2..4aa237033a 100644
--- a/builtin/submodule--helper.c
+++ b/builtin/submodule--helper.c
@@ -41,61 +41,25 @@
 typedef void (*each_submodule_fn)(const struct cache_entry *list_item,
 				  void *cb_data);
 
-static int repo_get_default_remote(struct repository *repo, char **default_remote)
-{
-	char *dest = NULL;
-	struct strbuf sb = STRBUF_INIT;
-	struct ref_store *store = get_main_ref_store(repo);
-	const char *refname = refs_resolve_ref_unsafe(store, "HEAD", 0, NULL,
-						      NULL);
-
-	if (!refname)
-		return die_message(_("No such ref: %s"), "HEAD");
-
-	/* detached HEAD */
-	if (!strcmp(refname, "HEAD")) {
-		*default_remote = xstrdup("origin");
-		return 0;
-	}
-
-	if (!skip_prefix(refname, "refs/heads/", &refname))
-		return die_message(_("Expecting a full ref name, got %s"),
-				   refname);
-
-	strbuf_addf(&sb, "branch.%s.remote", refname);
-	if (repo_config_get_string(repo, sb.buf, &dest))
-		*default_remote = xstrdup("origin");
-	else
-		*default_remote = dest;
-
-	strbuf_release(&sb);
-	return 0;
-}
-
 static int get_default_remote_submodule(const char *module_path, char **default_remote)
 {
 	struct repository subrepo;
-	int ret;
 
 	if (repo_submodule_init(&subrepo, the_repository, module_path,
 				null_oid(the_hash_algo)) < 0)
 		return die_message(_("could not get a repository handle for submodule '%s'"),
 				   module_path);
-	ret = repo_get_default_remote(&subrepo, default_remote);
+
+	*default_remote = xstrdup(repo_default_remote(&subrepo));
+
 	repo_clear(&subrepo);
 
-	return ret;
+	return 0;
 }
 
 static char *get_default_remote(void)
 {
-	char *default_remote;
-	int code = repo_get_default_remote(the_repository, &default_remote);
-
-	if (code)
-		exit(code);
-
-	return default_remote;
+	return xstrdup(repo_default_remote(the_repository));
 }
 
 static char *resolve_relative_url(const char *rel_url, const char *up_path, int quiet)
diff --git a/remote.c b/remote.c
index e7ff21dc03..e35cf7ec61 100644
--- a/remote.c
+++ b/remote.c
@@ -1772,20 +1772,35 @@ static void set_merge(struct repository *repo, struct branch *ret)
 	}
 }
 
-struct branch *branch_get(const char *name)
+static struct branch *repo_branch_get(struct repository *repo, const char *name)
 {
 	struct branch *ret;
 
-	read_config(the_repository, 0);
+	read_config(repo, 0);
 	if (!name || !*name || !strcmp(name, "HEAD"))
-		ret = the_repository->remote_state->current_branch;
+		ret = repo->remote_state->current_branch;
 	else
-		ret = make_branch(the_repository->remote_state, name,
+		ret = make_branch(repo->remote_state, name,
 				  strlen(name));
-	set_merge(the_repository, ret);
+	set_merge(repo, ret);
 	return ret;
 }
 
+struct branch *branch_get(const char *name)
+{
+	return repo_branch_get(the_repository, name);
+}
+
+const char *repo_default_remote(struct repository *repo)
+{
+	struct branch *branch;
+
+	read_config(repo, 0);
+	branch = repo_branch_get(repo, "HEAD");
+
+	return remotes_remote_for_branch(repo->remote_state, branch, NULL);
+}
+
 int branch_has_merge_config(struct branch *branch)
 {
 	return branch && branch->set_merge;
diff --git a/remote.h b/remote.h
index 76d93bf88d..8dc5cfa49e 100644
--- a/remote.h
+++ b/remote.h
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 
 struct option;
 struct transport_ls_refs_options;
+struct repository;
 
 /**
  * The API gives access to the configuration related to remotes. It handles
@@ -338,6 +339,8 @@ const char *remote_for_branch(struct branch *branch, int *explicit);
 const char *pushremote_for_branch(struct branch *branch, int *explicit);
 char *remote_ref_for_branch(struct branch *branch, int for_push);
 
+const char *repo_default_remote(struct repository *repo);
+
 /* returns true if the given branch has merge configuration given. */
 int branch_has_merge_config(struct branch *branch);
 
diff --git a/t/t7406-submodule-update.sh b/t/t7406-submodule-update.sh
index c562bad042..748b529745 100755
--- a/t/t7406-submodule-update.sh
+++ b/t/t7406-submodule-update.sh
@@ -1134,6 +1134,35 @@ test_expect_success 'setup clean recursive superproject' '
 	git clone --recurse-submodules top top-clean
 '
 
+test_expect_success 'submodule update with renamed remote' '
+	test_when_finished "rm -fr top-cloned" &&
+	cp -r top-clean top-cloned &&
+
+	# Create a commit in each repo, starting with bottom
+	test_commit -C bottom rename_commit &&
+	# Create middle commit
+	git -C middle/bottom fetch &&
+	git -C middle/bottom checkout -f FETCH_HEAD &&
+	git -C middle add bottom &&
+	git -C middle commit -m "rename_commit" &&
+	# Create top commit
+	git -C top/middle fetch &&
+	git -C top/middle checkout -f FETCH_HEAD &&
+	git -C top add middle &&
+	git -C top commit -m "rename_commit" &&
+
+	# rename the submodule remote
+	git -C top-cloned/middle remote rename origin upstream &&
+
+	# Make the update of "middle" a no-op, otherwise we error out
+	# because of its unmerged state
+	test_config -C top-cloned submodule.middle.update !true &&
+	git -C top-cloned submodule update --recursive 2>actual.err &&
+	cat >expect.err <<-\EOF &&
+	EOF
+	test_cmp expect.err actual.err
+'
+
 test_expect_success 'submodule update should skip unmerged submodules' '
 	test_when_finished "rm -fr top-cloned" &&
 	cp -r top-clean top-cloned &&