diff --git a/plugins/Alias/config.py b/plugins/Alias/config.py
index 6b5cad431..c049f5139 100644
--- a/plugins/Alias/config.py
+++ b/plugins/Alias/config.py
@@ -43,5 +43,7 @@ def configure(advanced):
 Alias = conf.registerPlugin('Alias')
 conf.registerGroup(Alias, 'aliases')
 conf.registerGroup(Alias, 'escapedaliases')
+conf.registerGlobalValue(Alias, 'validName',
+    registry.String(r'^[a-z.|!?][a-z0-9.|!]*$', _("""Regex which alias names must match in order to be valid""")))
 
 # vim:set shiftwidth=4 softtabstop=4 expandtab textwidth=79:
diff --git a/plugins/Alias/plugin.py b/plugins/Alias/plugin.py
index 7ecd5f852..d68106a1b 100644
--- a/plugins/Alias/plugin.py
+++ b/plugins/Alias/plugin.py
@@ -336,13 +336,9 @@ class Alias(callbacks.Plugin):
             irc.error(_('There is no such alias.'))
     unlock = wrap(unlock, [('checkCapability', 'admin'), 'commandName'])
 
-    _validNameRe = re.compile(r'^[a-z.|!?][a-z0-9.|!]*$')
     def addAlias(self, irc, name, alias, lock=False):
-        if not self._validNameRe.search(name):
-            raise AliasError('Names can only contain alphanumerical '
-                    'characters, dots, pipes, and '
-                    'exclamation/interrogatin marks '
-                    '(and the first character cannot be a number).')
+        if not re.search(self.registryValue('validName'), name):
+            raise AliasError('Invalid alias name.')
         realName = callbacks.canonicalName(name)
         if name != realName:
             s = format(_('That name isn\'t valid.  Try %q instead.'), realName)
diff --git a/plugins/Alias/test.py b/plugins/Alias/test.py
index d35a9c914..913b1ab56 100644
--- a/plugins/Alias/test.py
+++ b/plugins/Alias/test.py
@@ -112,8 +112,7 @@ class AliasTestCase(ChannelPluginTestCase):
         self.failIf('foobar' in cb.aliases)
         self.assertError('foobar')
 
-        self.assertRegexp('alias add café ignore', 'Error.*can only contain')
-        self.assertRegexp('alias add 1abc ignore', 'Error.*can only contain')
+        self.assertRegexp('alias add abc\x07 ignore', 'Error.*Invalid')
 
     def testOptionalArgs(self):
         self.assertNotError('alias add myrepr "repr @1"')