diff --git a/packages/@angular/cli/commands/generate.ts b/packages/@angular/cli/commands/generate.ts
index 059c71e0b6f0..48efce31a092 100644
--- a/packages/@angular/cli/commands/generate.ts
+++ b/packages/@angular/cli/commands/generate.ts
@@ -72,6 +72,11 @@ export default Command.extend({
         `The \`ng generate ${name}\` command requires a name to be specified.`);
     }
 
+    if (/^\d/.test(rawArgs[1])) {
+      SilentError.debugOrThrow('@angular/cli/commands/generate',
+          `The \`ng generate ${name} ${rawArgs[1]}\` file name cannot begin with a digit.`);
+    }
+
     rawArgs[0] = blueprint.name;
     this.registerOptions(blueprint);
   },
diff --git a/tests/e2e/tests/generate/generate-name-error.ts b/tests/e2e/tests/generate/generate-name-error.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000000..2fb0583ca514
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/e2e/tests/generate/generate-name-error.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+import {ng} from '../../utils/process';
+import {expectToFail} from '../../utils/utils';
+
+
+export default function() {
+  return Promise.resolve()
+    .then(() => expectToFail(() =>
+      ng('generate', 'component', '1my-component')));
+}