diff --git a/v1/ao/opentracing/tags.go b/v1/ao/opentracing/tags.go
index 953f3247..fd742475 100644
--- a/v1/ao/opentracing/tags.go
+++ b/v1/ao/opentracing/tags.go
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ var otAOMap = map[string]string{
 	string(ext.DBInstance):  "Database",
 	string(ext.DBStatement): "Query",
 	string(ext.DBType):      "Flavor",
+
+	"resource.name": "TransactionName",
 }
 
 func translateTagName(key string) string {
@@ -27,11 +29,3 @@ func translateTagName(key string) string {
 	}
 	return key
 }
-
-func translateTags(tags map[string]interface{}) map[string]interface{} {
-	ret := make(map[string]interface{})
-	for k, v := range tags {
-		ret[translateTagName(k)] = v
-	}
-	return ret
-}
diff --git a/v1/ao/opentracing/tracer.go b/v1/ao/opentracing/tracer.go
index 3e755fa6..e630b2bd 100644
--- a/v1/ao/opentracing/tracer.go
+++ b/v1/ao/opentracing/tracer.go
@@ -37,6 +37,7 @@ func (t *Tracer) StartSpan(operationName string, opts ...ot.StartSpanOption) ot.
 func (t *Tracer) startSpanWithOptions(operationName string, opts ot.StartSpanOptions) ot.Span {
 	// check if trace has already started (use Trace if there is no parent, Span otherwise)
 	// XXX handle StartTime
+	var newSpan ot.Span
 
 	for _, ref := range opts.References {
 		switch ref.Type {
@@ -46,26 +47,33 @@ func (t *Tracer) startSpanWithOptions(operationName string, opts ot.StartSpanOpt
 			if refCtx.span == nil { // referenced spanContext created by Extract()
 				var span ao.Span
 				if refCtx.sampled {
-					span = ao.NewTraceFromID(operationName, refCtx.remoteMD, func() ao.KVMap {
-						return translateTags(opts.Tags)
-					})
+					span = ao.NewTraceFromID(operationName, refCtx.remoteMD, nil)
 				} else {
 					span = ao.NewNullTrace()
 				}
-				return &spanImpl{tracer: t, context: spanContext{
+				newSpan = &spanImpl{tracer: t, context: spanContext{
 					span:    span,
 					sampled: refCtx.sampled,
 					baggage: refCtx.baggage,
 				},
 				}
+			} else {
+				// referenced spanContext was in-process
+				newSpan = &spanImpl{tracer: t, context: spanContext{span: refCtx.span.BeginSpan(operationName)}}
 			}
-			// referenced spanContext was in-process
-			return &spanImpl{tracer: t, context: spanContext{span: refCtx.span.BeginSpan(operationName)}}
 		}
 	}
 
 	// otherwise, no parent span found, so make new trace and return as span
-	newSpan := &spanImpl{tracer: t, context: spanContext{span: ao.NewTrace(operationName)}}
+	if newSpan == nil {
+		newSpan = &spanImpl{tracer: t, context: spanContext{span: ao.NewTrace(operationName)}}
+	}
+
+	// add tags, if provided in span options
+	for k, v := range opts.Tags {
+		newSpan.SetTag(k, v)
+	}
+
 	return newSpan
 }
 
@@ -190,7 +198,14 @@ func (s *spanImpl) SetOperationName(operationName string) ot.Span {
 func (s *spanImpl) SetTag(key string, value interface{}) ot.Span {
 	s.Lock()
 	defer s.Unlock()
-	s.context.span.AddEndArgs(translateTagName(key), value)
+	// if transaction name is passed, set on the span
+	if tagName := translateTagName(key); tagName == "TransactionName" {
+		if txnName, ok := value.(string); ok {
+			s.context.span.SetTransactionName(txnName)
+		}
+	} else {
+		s.context.span.AddEndArgs(tagName, value)
+	}
 	return s
 }
 
diff --git a/v1/ao/opentracing/tracer_test.go b/v1/ao/opentracing/tracer_test.go
index 84ff976b..efdb2942 100644
--- a/v1/ao/opentracing/tracer_test.go
+++ b/v1/ao/opentracing/tracer_test.go
@@ -5,9 +5,12 @@ package opentracing
 import (
 	"testing"
 
+	g "github.com/appoptics/appoptics-apm-go/v1/ao/internal/graphtest"
+	"github.com/appoptics/appoptics-apm-go/v1/ao/internal/metrics"
 	"github.com/appoptics/appoptics-apm-go/v1/ao/internal/reporter"
 	opentracing "github.com/opentracing/opentracing-go"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
+	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
 func TestSpanBaggageUnsampled(t *testing.T) {
@@ -23,3 +26,33 @@ func TestSpanBaggageUnsampled(t *testing.T) {
 	childSpan := tr.StartSpan("op2", opentracing.ChildOf(sp.Context()))
 	assert.NotNil(t, childSpan)
 }
+
+func testTransactionName(t *testing.T, tagName, txnName string) {
+	r := reporter.SetTestReporter() // set up test reporter
+	tr := NewTracer()
+
+	span := tr.StartSpan("op")
+	assert.NotNil(t, span)
+	span.SetTag(tagName, txnName)
+	span.SetTag("http.url", "http://app.com/myURL/123/456")
+	span.Finish()
+
+	r.Close(2)
+	g.AssertGraph(t, r.EventBufs, 2, g.AssertNodeKVMap{
+		{"op", "entry", "", ""}:                    {},
+		{"op", "exit", "TransactionName", txnName}: {Edges: g.Edges{{"op", "entry"}}},
+	})
+
+	require.Len(t, r.SpanMessages, 1)
+	m, ok := r.SpanMessages[0].(*metrics.HTTPSpanMessage)
+	require.True(t, ok)
+	assert.Equal(t, txnName, m.Transaction)
+}
+
+func TestOTSetTransactionName(t *testing.T) {
+	testTransactionName(t, "TransactionName", "myTxn")
+}
+
+func TestOTSetResourceName(t *testing.T) {
+	testTransactionName(t, "resource.name", "myTxn2")
+}