diff --git a/dir.c b/dir.c
index 996653b0d3..f04bd3bd33 100644
--- a/dir.c
+++ b/dir.c
@@ -53,13 +53,12 @@ static enum path_treatment read_directory_recursive(struct dir_struct *dir,
 	int check_only, const struct path_simplify *simplify);
 static int get_dtype(struct dirent *de, const char *path, int len);
 
-/* helper string functions with support for the ignore_case flag */
-int strcmp_icase(const char *a, const char *b)
+int fspathcmp(const char *a, const char *b)
 {
 	return ignore_case ? strcasecmp(a, b) : strcmp(a, b);
 }
 
-int strncmp_icase(const char *a, const char *b, size_t count)
+int fspathncmp(const char *a, const char *b, size_t count)
 {
 	return ignore_case ? strncasecmp(a, b, count) : strncmp(a, b, count);
 }
@@ -802,12 +801,12 @@ int match_basename(const char *basename, int basenamelen,
 {
 	if (prefix == patternlen) {
 		if (patternlen == basenamelen &&
-		    !strncmp_icase(pattern, basename, basenamelen))
+		    !fspathncmp(pattern, basename, basenamelen))
 			return 1;
 	} else if (flags & EXC_FLAG_ENDSWITH) {
 		/* "*literal" matching against "fooliteral" */
 		if (patternlen - 1 <= basenamelen &&
-		    !strncmp_icase(pattern + 1,
+		    !fspathncmp(pattern + 1,
 				   basename + basenamelen - (patternlen - 1),
 				   patternlen - 1))
 			return 1;
@@ -844,7 +843,7 @@ int match_pathname(const char *pathname, int pathlen,
 	 */
 	if (pathlen < baselen + 1 ||
 	    (baselen && pathname[baselen] != '/') ||
-	    strncmp_icase(pathname, base, baselen))
+	    fspathncmp(pathname, base, baselen))
 		return 0;
 
 	namelen = baselen ? pathlen - baselen - 1 : pathlen;
@@ -858,7 +857,7 @@ int match_pathname(const char *pathname, int pathlen,
 		if (prefix > namelen)
 			return 0;
 
-		if (strncmp_icase(pattern, name, prefix))
+		if (fspathncmp(pattern, name, prefix))
 			return 0;
 		pattern += prefix;
 		patternlen -= prefix;
diff --git a/dir.h b/dir.h
index 301b737a37..e34d555d53 100644
--- a/dir.h
+++ b/dir.h
@@ -270,8 +270,8 @@ extern int remove_dir_recursively(struct strbuf *path, int flag);
 /* tries to remove the path with empty directories along it, ignores ENOENT */
 extern int remove_path(const char *path);
 
-extern int strcmp_icase(const char *a, const char *b);
-extern int strncmp_icase(const char *a, const char *b, size_t count);
+extern int fspathcmp(const char *a, const char *b);
+extern int fspathncmp(const char *a, const char *b, size_t count);
 extern int fnmatch_icase(const char *pattern, const char *string, int flags);
 
 /*
diff --git a/fast-import.c b/fast-import.c
index 9fc7093406..339cd38076 100644
--- a/fast-import.c
+++ b/fast-import.c
@@ -1512,7 +1512,7 @@ static int tree_content_set(
 	t = root->tree;
 	for (i = 0; i < t->entry_count; i++) {
 		e = t->entries[i];
-		if (e->name->str_len == n && !strncmp_icase(p, e->name->str_dat, n)) {
+		if (e->name->str_len == n && !fspathncmp(p, e->name->str_dat, n)) {
 			if (!*slash1) {
 				if (!S_ISDIR(mode)
 						&& e->versions[1].mode == mode
@@ -1602,7 +1602,7 @@ static int tree_content_remove(
 	t = root->tree;
 	for (i = 0; i < t->entry_count; i++) {
 		e = t->entries[i];
-		if (e->name->str_len == n && !strncmp_icase(p, e->name->str_dat, n)) {
+		if (e->name->str_len == n && !fspathncmp(p, e->name->str_dat, n)) {
 			if (*slash1 && !S_ISDIR(e->versions[1].mode))
 				/*
 				 * If p names a file in some subdirectory, and a
@@ -1669,7 +1669,7 @@ static int tree_content_get(
 	t = root->tree;
 	for (i = 0; i < t->entry_count; i++) {
 		e = t->entries[i];
-		if (e->name->str_len == n && !strncmp_icase(p, e->name->str_dat, n)) {
+		if (e->name->str_len == n && !fspathncmp(p, e->name->str_dat, n)) {
 			if (!*slash1)
 				goto found_entry;
 			if (!S_ISDIR(e->versions[1].mode))
diff --git a/sha1_file.c b/sha1_file.c
index d0f2aa029b..ea6381b3fd 100644
--- a/sha1_file.c
+++ b/sha1_file.c
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@ static int link_alt_odb_entry(const char *entry, const char *relative_base,
 			return -1;
 		}
 	}
-	if (!strcmp_icase(ent->base, normalized_objdir)) {
+	if (!fspathcmp(ent->base, normalized_objdir)) {
 		free(ent);
 		return -1;
 	}