diff --git a/lib/Doctrine/ORM/Query/Lexer.php b/lib/Doctrine/ORM/Query/Lexer.php
index bf0b5f6db..d5721a735 100644
--- a/lib/Doctrine/ORM/Query/Lexer.php
+++ b/lib/Doctrine/ORM/Query/Lexer.php
@@ -129,7 +129,7 @@ class Lexer extends \Doctrine\Common\Lexer
             '[a-z_\\\][a-z0-9_\:\\\]*[a-z0-9_]{1}',
             '(?:[0-9]+(?:[\.][0-9]+)*)(?:e[+-]?[0-9]+)?',
             "'(?:[^']|'')*'",
-            '\?[0-9]*|:[a-z]{1}[a-z0-9_]{0,}'
+            '\?[0-9]*|:[a-z_][a-z0-9_]*'
         );
     }
 
diff --git a/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/Query/LexerTest.php b/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/Query/LexerTest.php
index 29bba4bae..1798cc1ed 100644
--- a/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/Query/LexerTest.php
+++ b/tests/Doctrine/Tests/ORM/Query/LexerTest.php
@@ -158,6 +158,15 @@ class LexerTest extends \Doctrine\Tests\OrmTestCase
         $this->assertEquals(':name', $token['value']);
     }
 
+    public function testScannerRecognizesNamedInputParameterStartingWithUnderscore()
+    {
+        $lexer = new Lexer(':_name');
+        $lexer->moveNext();
+        $token = $lexer->lookahead;
+        $this->assertEquals(Lexer::T_INPUT_PARAMETER, $token['type']);
+        $this->assertEquals(':_name', $token['value']);
+    }
+
     public function testScannerTokenizesASimpleQueryCorrectly()
     {
         $dql = "SELECT u FROM My\Namespace\User u WHERE u.name = 'Jack O''Neil'";