diff --git a/cmd/minikube/cmd/start.go b/cmd/minikube/cmd/start.go
index 13df195611fb..097d84d76bcb 100644
--- a/cmd/minikube/cmd/start.go
+++ b/cmd/minikube/cmd/start.go
@@ -178,6 +178,7 @@ func runStart(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) {
 		upgradeExistingConfig(existing)
 	}
 
+	validateProfileName(existing)
 	validateSpecifiedDriver(existing)
 	validateKubernetesVersion(existing)
 
@@ -638,6 +639,29 @@ func hostDriver(existing *config.ClusterConfig) string {
 	return h.Driver.DriverName()
 }
 
+// validateProfileName makes sure that new profile name not duplicated with any of machine names in existing multi-node clusters.
+func validateProfileName(existing *config.ClusterConfig) {
+	if existing != nil {
+		return
+	}
+
+	validPs, _, err := config.ListProfiles()
+	if err != nil {
+		exit.Message(reason.InternalListConfig, "Unable to list profiles: {{.error}}", out.V{"error": err})
+	}
+	for _, ps := range validPs {
+		for _, existNode := range ps.Config.Nodes {
+			machineName := config.MachineName(*ps.Config, existNode)
+			if ClusterFlagValue() == machineName {
+				out.WarningT("Profile name '{{.name}}' is duplicated with machine name '{{.machine}}' in profile '{{.profile}}'", out.V{"name": ClusterFlagValue(),
+					"machine": machineName,
+					"profile": ps.Name})
+				exit.Message(reason.Usage, "Profile name should be unique")
+			}
+		}
+	}
+}
+
 // validateSpecifiedDriver makes sure that if a user has passed in a driver
 // it matches the existing cluster if there is one
 func validateSpecifiedDriver(existing *config.ClusterConfig) {
diff --git a/pkg/minikube/config/profile.go b/pkg/minikube/config/profile.go
index a632f0485958..06bc1a8bfa4e 100644
--- a/pkg/minikube/config/profile.go
+++ b/pkg/minikube/config/profile.go
@@ -291,7 +291,7 @@ func ProfileFolderPath(profile string, miniHome ...string) string {
 // MachineName returns the name of the machine, as seen by the hypervisor given the cluster and node names
 func MachineName(cc ClusterConfig, n Node) string {
 	// For single node cluster, default to back to old naming
-	if len(cc.Nodes) == 1 || n.ControlPlane {
+	if (len(cc.Nodes) == 1 && cc.Nodes[0].Name == n.Name) || n.ControlPlane {
 		return cc.Name
 	}
 	return fmt.Sprintf("%s-%s", cc.Name, n.Name)
diff --git a/pkg/minikube/node/node.go b/pkg/minikube/node/node.go
index 672e52276d54..1c43051b4654 100644
--- a/pkg/minikube/node/node.go
+++ b/pkg/minikube/node/node.go
@@ -38,6 +38,20 @@ const (
 
 // Add adds a new node config to an existing cluster.
 func Add(cc *config.ClusterConfig, n config.Node, delOnFail bool) error {
+	validPs, _, err := config.ListProfiles()
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+
+	machineName := config.MachineName(*cc, n)
+	for _, ps := range validPs {
+		for _, existNode := range ps.Config.Nodes {
+			if machineName == config.MachineName(*ps.Config, existNode) {
+				return errors.Errorf("Node %s already exists in %s profile", machineName, ps.Name)
+			}
+		}
+	}
+
 	if err := config.SaveNode(cc, &n); err != nil {
 		return errors.Wrap(err, "save node")
 	}