diff --git a/cmd/zdb/zdb.c b/cmd/zdb/zdb.c
index 1a6dcf8213..db8e2200a7 100644
--- a/cmd/zdb/zdb.c
+++ b/cmd/zdb/zdb.c
@@ -8272,6 +8272,23 @@ zdb_embedded_block(char *thing)
 	free(buf);
 }
 
+/* check for valid hex or decimal numeric string */
+static boolean_t
+zdb_numeric(char *str)
+{
+	int i = 0;
+
+	if (strlen(str) == 0)
+		return (B_FALSE);
+	if (strncmp(str, "0x", 2) == 0 || strncmp(str, "0X", 2) == 0)
+		i = 2;
+	for (; i < strlen(str); i++) {
+		if (!isxdigit(str[i]))
+			return (B_FALSE);
+	}
+	return (B_TRUE);
+}
+
 int
 main(int argc, char **argv)
 {
@@ -8317,7 +8334,7 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 	zfs_btree_verify_intensity = 3;
 
 	while ((c = getopt(argc, argv,
-	    "AbcCdDeEFGhiI:klLmMo:Op:PqrRsSt:uU:vVx:XYyZ")) != -1) {
+	    "AbcCdDeEFGhiI:klLmMNo:Op:PqrRsSt:uU:vVx:XYyZ")) != -1) {
 		switch (c) {
 		case 'b':
 		case 'c':
@@ -8331,6 +8348,7 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 		case 'l':
 		case 'm':
 		case 'M':
+		case 'N':
 		case 'O':
 		case 'r':
 		case 'R':
@@ -8422,31 +8440,6 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 		(void) fprintf(stderr, "-p option requires use of -e\n");
 		usage();
 	}
-	if (dump_opt['d'] || dump_opt['r']) {
-		/* <pool>[/<dataset | objset id> is accepted */
-		if (argv[2] && (objset_str = strchr(argv[2], '/')) != NULL &&
-		    objset_str++ != NULL) {
-			char *endptr;
-			errno = 0;
-			objset_id = strtoull(objset_str, &endptr, 0);
-			/* dataset 0 is the same as opening the pool */
-			if (errno == 0 && endptr != objset_str &&
-			    objset_id != 0) {
-				target_is_spa = B_FALSE;
-				dataset_lookup = B_TRUE;
-			} else if (objset_id != 0) {
-				printf("failed to open objset %s "
-				    "%llu %s", objset_str,
-				    (u_longlong_t)objset_id,
-				    strerror(errno));
-				exit(1);
-			}
-			/* normal dataset name not an objset ID */
-			if (endptr == objset_str) {
-				objset_id = -1;
-			}
-		}
-	}
 
 #if defined(_LP64)
 	/*
@@ -8486,7 +8479,7 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 		verbose = MAX(verbose, 1);
 
 	for (c = 0; c < 256; c++) {
-		if (dump_all && strchr("AeEFklLOPrRSXy", c) == NULL)
+		if (dump_all && strchr("AeEFklLNOPrRSXy", c) == NULL)
 			dump_opt[c] = 1;
 		if (dump_opt[c])
 			dump_opt[c] += verbose;
@@ -8525,6 +8518,7 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 		return (dump_path(argv[0], argv[1], NULL));
 	}
 	if (dump_opt['r']) {
+		target_is_spa = B_FALSE;
 		if (argc != 3)
 			usage();
 		dump_opt['v'] = verbose;
@@ -8535,6 +8529,10 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 		rewind = ZPOOL_DO_REWIND |
 		    (dump_opt['X'] ? ZPOOL_EXTREME_REWIND : 0);
 
+	/* -N implies -d */
+	if (dump_opt['N'] && dump_opt['d'] == 0)
+		dump_opt['d'] = dump_opt['N'];
+
 	if (nvlist_alloc(&policy, NV_UNIQUE_NAME_TYPE, 0) != 0 ||
 	    nvlist_add_uint64(policy, ZPOOL_LOAD_REQUEST_TXG, max_txg) != 0 ||
 	    nvlist_add_uint32(policy, ZPOOL_LOAD_REWIND_POLICY, rewind) != 0)
@@ -8553,6 +8551,34 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 		targetlen = strlen(target);
 		if (targetlen && target[targetlen - 1] == '/')
 			target[targetlen - 1] = '\0';
+		/*
+		 * See if an objset ID was supplied (-d <pool>/<objset ID>).
+		 * To disambiguate tank/100, consider the 100 as objsetID
+		 * if -N was given, otherwise 100 is an objsetID iff
+		 * tank/100 as a named dataset fails on lookup.
+		 */
+		objset_str = strchr(target, '/');
+		if (objset_str && strlen(objset_str) > 1 &&
+		    zdb_numeric(objset_str + 1)) {
+			char *endptr;
+			errno = 0;
+			objset_str++;
+			objset_id = strtoull(objset_str, &endptr, 0);
+			/* dataset 0 is the same as opening the pool */
+			if (errno == 0 && endptr != objset_str &&
+			    objset_id != 0) {
+				if (dump_opt['N'])
+					dataset_lookup = B_TRUE;
+			}
+			/* normal dataset name not an objset ID */
+			if (endptr == objset_str) {
+				objset_id = -1;
+			}
+		} else if (objset_str && !zdb_numeric(objset_str + 1) &&
+		    dump_opt['N']) {
+			printf("Supply a numeric objset ID with -N\n");
+			exit(1);
+		}
 	} else {
 		target_pool = target;
 	}
@@ -8670,13 +8696,27 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 			}
 			return (error);
 		} else {
+			target_pool = strdup(target);
+			if (strpbrk(target, "/@") != NULL)
+				*strpbrk(target_pool, "/@") = '\0';
+
 			zdb_set_skip_mmp(target);
+			/*
+			 * If -N was supplied, the user has indicated that
+			 * zdb -d <pool>/<objsetID> is in effect.  Otherwise
+			 * we first assume that the dataset string is the
+			 * dataset name.  If dmu_objset_hold fails with the
+			 * dataset string, and we have an objset_id, retry the
+			 * lookup with the objsetID.
+			 */
+			boolean_t retry = B_TRUE;
+retry_lookup:
 			if (dataset_lookup == B_TRUE) {
 				/*
 				 * Use the supplied id to get the name
 				 * for open_objset.
 				 */
-				error = spa_open(target, &spa, FTAG);
+				error = spa_open(target_pool, &spa, FTAG);
 				if (error == 0) {
 					error = name_from_objset_id(spa,
 					    objset_id, dsname);
@@ -8685,10 +8725,23 @@ main(int argc, char **argv)
 						target = dsname;
 				}
 			}
-			if (error == 0)
+			if (error == 0) {
+				if (objset_id > 0 && retry) {
+					int err = dmu_objset_hold(target, FTAG,
+					    &os);
+					if (err) {
+						dataset_lookup = B_TRUE;
+						retry = B_FALSE;
+						goto retry_lookup;
+					} else {
+						dmu_objset_rele(os, FTAG);
+					}
+				}
 				error = open_objset(target, FTAG, &os);
+			}
 			if (error == 0)
 				spa = dmu_objset_spa(os);
+			free(target_pool);
 		}
 	}
 	nvlist_free(policy);
diff --git a/man/man8/zdb.8 b/man/man8/zdb.8
index a8a9442190..6a7ea2cbf1 100644
--- a/man/man8/zdb.8
+++ b/man/man8/zdb.8
@@ -23,7 +23,7 @@
 .Nd display ZFS storage pool debugging and consistency information
 .Sh SYNOPSIS
 .Nm
-.Op Fl AbcdDFGhikLMPsvXYy
+.Op Fl AbcdDFGhikLMNPsvXYy
 .Op Fl e Oo Fl V Oc Oo Fl p Ar path Oc Ns …
 .Op Fl I Ar inflight I/Os
 .Oo Fl o Ar var Ns = Ns Ar value Oc Ns …
@@ -137,6 +137,14 @@ also display the configuration that would be used were the pool to be imported.
 Display information about datasets.
 Specified once, displays basic dataset information: ID, create transaction,
 size, and object count.
+See
+.Fl N
+for determining if
+.Op Ar poolname Ns Op / Ns Ar dataset | objset ID
+is to use the specified
+.Op Ar dataset | objset ID
+as a string (dataset name) or a number (objset ID) when
+datasets have numeric names.
 .Pp
 If specified multiple times provides greater and greater verbosity.
 .Pp
@@ -272,6 +280,14 @@ Also display information about the maximum contiguous free space and the
 percentage of free space in each space map.
 .It Fl MMM
 Display every spacemap record.
+.It Fl N
+Same as
+.Fl d
+but force zdb to interpret the
+.Op Ar dataset | objset ID
+in
+.Op Ar poolname Ns Op / Ns Ar dataset | objset ID
+as a numeric objset ID.
 .It Fl O Ar dataset path
 Look up the specified
 .Ar path
diff --git a/tests/zfs-tests/tests/functional/cli_root/zdb/zdb_args_neg.ksh b/tests/zfs-tests/tests/functional/cli_root/zdb/zdb_args_neg.ksh
index ae948bb9b7..cb88def7cc 100755
--- a/tests/zfs-tests/tests/functional/cli_root/zdb/zdb_args_neg.ksh
+++ b/tests/zfs-tests/tests/functional/cli_root/zdb/zdb_args_neg.ksh
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ set -A args "create" "add" "destroy" "import fakepool" \
     "setvprop" "blah blah" "-%" "--?" "-*" "-=" \
     "-a" "-f" "-g" "-j" "-n" "-o" "-p" "-p /tmp" \
     "-t" "-w" "-z" "-E" "-H" "-I" "-J" "-K" \
-    "-N" "-Q" "-R" "-T" "-W"
+    "-Q" "-R" "-T" "-W"
 
 log_assert "Execute zdb using invalid parameters."
 
diff --git a/tests/zfs-tests/tests/functional/cli_root/zdb/zdb_objset_id.ksh b/tests/zfs-tests/tests/functional/cli_root/zdb/zdb_objset_id.ksh
index d23cc43c90..ce0732a6f9 100755
--- a/tests/zfs-tests/tests/functional/cli_root/zdb/zdb_objset_id.ksh
+++ b/tests/zfs-tests/tests/functional/cli_root/zdb/zdb_objset_id.ksh
@@ -30,10 +30,16 @@
 # 6. Confirm names
 # 7. Run zdb -dddddd pool/objsetID objectID (hex) 
 # 8. Confirm names
-# 9. Obtain objsetID from /proc/spl/kstat/zfs/testpool/obset-0x<ID>
+# 9. Repeat with zdb -NNNNNN pool/objsetID objectID
+# 10. Obtain objsetID from /proc/spl/kstat/zfs/testpool/obset-0x<ID>
 #    (linux only)
-# 10. Run zdb -dddddd pool/objsetID (hex)
-# 11. Match name from zdb against proc entry
+# 11. Run zdb -dddddd pool/objsetID (hex)
+# 12. Match name from zdb against proc entry
+# 13. Create dataset with hex numeric name
+# 14. Create dataset with decimal numeric name
+# 15. zdb -d for numeric datasets succeeds
+# 16. zdb -N for numeric datasets fails
+# 17. zdb -dN for numeric datasets fails
 #
 
 function cleanup
@@ -78,6 +84,17 @@ do
 	(( $? != 0 )) && log_fail \
 	    "zdb -dddddd $TESTPOOL/$id $obj failed $reason"
 	obj=$(printf "0x%X" $obj)
+
+ 	log_note "zdb -NNNNNN $TESTPOOL/$id $obj"
+        output=$(zdb -NNNNNN $TESTPOOL/$id $obj)
+        reason="($TESTPOOL/$TESTFS not in zdb output)"
+        echo $output |grep "$TESTPOOL/$TESTFS" > /dev/null
+        (( $? != 0 )) && log_fail \
+            "zdb -NNNNNN $TESTPOOL/$id $obj failed $reason"
+        reason="(file1 not in zdb output)"
+        echo $output |grep "file1" > /dev/null
+        (( $? != 0 )) && log_fail \
+            "zdb -NNNNNN $TESTPOOL/$id $obj failed $reason"
 done
 
 if is_linux; then
@@ -94,4 +111,23 @@ if is_linux; then
 	    "zdb -dddddd $TESTPOOL/$objset_hex failed $reason"
 fi
 
+log_must zfs create $TESTPOOL/0x400
+log_must zfs create $TESTPOOL/100
+output=$(zdb -d $TESTPOOL/0x400)
+reason="($TESTPOOL/0x400 not in zdb output)"
+echo $output |grep "$TESTPOOL/0x400" > /dev/null
+(( $? != 0 )) && log_fail \
+    "zdb -d $TESTPOOL/0x400 failed $reason"
+output=$(zdb -d $TESTPOOL/100)
+reason="($TESTPOOL/100 not in zdb output)"
+echo $output |grep "$TESTPOOL/100" > /dev/null
+(( $? != 0 )) && log_fail \
+    "zdb -d $TESTPOOL/100 failed $reason"
+
+# force numeric interpretation, should fail
+log_mustnot zdb -N $TESTPOOL/0x400
+log_mustnot zdb -N $TESTPOOL/100
+log_mustnot zdb -Nd $TESTPOOL/0x400
+log_mustnot zdb -Nd $TESTPOOL/100
+
 log_pass "zdb -d <pool>/<objset ID> generates the correct names."