diff --git a/CHANGES.current b/CHANGES.current
index 9e6a04cc3..2cf0bc497 100644
--- a/CHANGES.current
+++ b/CHANGES.current
@@ -7,6 +7,9 @@ the issue number to the end of the URL: https://github.com/swig/swig/issues/
 Version 4.1.0 (in progress)
 ===========================
 
+2020-10-10: wsfulton
+            #252 complex can now be used as a C identifier and doesn't give a syntax error.
+
 2020-10-10: lpsinger
             #1770 Correct C complex support.
             _Complex is now parsed as a keyword rather than complex as per the C99 standard.
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/common.mk b/Examples/test-suite/common.mk
index 55cbd2cce..bddae4b2f 100644
--- a/Examples/test-suite/common.mk
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/common.mk
@@ -718,6 +718,7 @@ C_TEST_CASES += \
 	nested_extend_c \
 	nested_structs \
 	newobject2 \
+	not_ckeywords \
 	overload_extend_c \
 	overload_extend2 \
 	preproc \
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/not_c_keywords.i b/Examples/test-suite/not_c_keywords.i
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..013575bc6
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/not_c_keywords.i
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+%module not_c_keywords
+
+%extend ComplexStruct {
+void init() {
+  $self->complex = 123;
+}
+}
+
+%inline %{
+struct ComplexStruct {
+  int complex; /* complex as variable name */
+};
+%}
diff --git a/Examples/test-suite/python/not_c_keywords_runme.py b/Examples/test-suite/python/not_c_keywords_runme.py
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7f0772407
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Examples/test-suite/python/not_c_keywords_runme.py
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+from not_c_keywords import *
+
+cs = ComplexStruct()
+cs.init()
+if cs.complex != 123:
+    raise RuntimeError("complex not correct")
+cs.complex = 456
diff --git a/Source/Swig/stype.c b/Source/Swig/stype.c
index 66518f50c..fbf02bb1f 100644
--- a/Source/Swig/stype.c
+++ b/Source/Swig/stype.c
@@ -134,7 +134,7 @@ SwigType *NewSwigType(int t) {
     return NewString("double");
     break;
   case T_COMPLEX:
-    return NewString("complex");
+    return NewString("_Complex");
     break;
   case T_CHAR:
     return NewString("char");