diff --git a/middleware/file/dname.go b/middleware/file/dname.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e4c29c77d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/middleware/file/dname.go
@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+package file
+
+import (
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/miekg/dns"
+)
+
+// substituteDNAME performs the DNAME substitution defined by RFC 6672,
+// assuming the QTYPE of the query is not DNAME. It returns an empty
+// string if there is no match.
+func substituteDNAME(qname, owner, target string) string {
+	if dns.IsSubDomain(owner, qname) && qname != owner {
+		labels := dns.SplitDomainName(qname)
+		labels = append(labels[0:len(labels)-dns.CountLabel(owner)], dns.SplitDomainName(target)...)
+
+		return strings.Join(labels, ".") + "."
+	}
+
+	return ""
+}
+
+// synthesizeCNAME returns a CNAME RR pointing to the resulting name of
+// the DNAME substitution. The owner name of the CNAME is the QNAME of
+// the query and the TTL is the same as the corresponding DNAME RR.
+//
+// It returns nil if the DNAME substitution has no match.
+func synthesizeCNAME(qname string, d *dns.DNAME) *dns.CNAME {
+	target := substituteDNAME(qname, d.Header().Name, d.Target)
+	if target == "" {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	r := new(dns.CNAME)
+	r.Hdr = dns.RR_Header{
+		Name:   qname,
+		Rrtype: dns.TypeCNAME,
+		Class:  dns.ClassINET,
+		Ttl:    d.Header().Ttl,
+	}
+	r.Target = target
+
+	return r
+}
diff --git a/middleware/file/dname_test.go b/middleware/file/dname_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..e26a1c29a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/middleware/file/dname_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,159 @@
+package file
+
+import (
+	"sort"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/coredns/coredns/middleware/pkg/dnsrecorder"
+	"github.com/coredns/coredns/middleware/test"
+
+	"github.com/miekg/dns"
+	"golang.org/x/net/context"
+)
+
+// RFC 6672, Section 2.2. Assuming QTYPE != DNAME.
+var dnameSubstitutionTestCases = []struct {
+	qname    string
+	owner    string
+	target   string
+	expected string
+}{
+	{"com.", "example.com.", "example.net.", ""},
+	{"example.com.", "example.com.", "example.net.", ""},
+	{"a.example.com.", "example.com.", "example.net.", "a.example.net."},
+	{"a.b.example.com.", "example.com.", "example.net.", "a.b.example.net."},
+	{"ab.example.com.", "b.example.com.", "example.net.", ""},
+	{"foo.example.com.", "example.com.", "example.net.", "foo.example.net."},
+	{"a.x.example.com.", "x.example.com.", "example.net.", "a.example.net."},
+	{"a.example.com.", "example.com.", "y.example.net.", "a.y.example.net."},
+	{"cyc.example.com.", "example.com.", "example.com.", "cyc.example.com."},
+	{"cyc.example.com.", "example.com.", "c.example.com.", "cyc.c.example.com."},
+	{"shortloop.x.x.", "x.", ".", "shortloop.x."},
+	{"shortloop.x.", "x.", ".", "shortloop."},
+}
+
+func TestDNAMESubstitution(t *testing.T) {
+	for i, tc := range dnameSubstitutionTestCases {
+		result := substituteDNAME(tc.qname, tc.owner, tc.target)
+		if result != tc.expected {
+			if result == "" {
+				result = "<no match>"
+			}
+
+			t.Errorf("Case %d: Expected %s -> %s, got %v", i, tc.qname, tc.expected, result)
+			return
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+var dnameTestCases = []test.Case{
+	{
+		Qname: "dname.miek.nl.", Qtype: dns.TypeDNAME,
+		Answer: []dns.RR{
+			test.DNAME("dname.miek.nl.	1800	IN	DNAME	test.miek.nl."),
+		},
+		Ns: miekAuth,
+	},
+	{
+		Qname: "dname.miek.nl.", Qtype: dns.TypeA,
+		Answer: []dns.RR{
+			test.A("dname.miek.nl.	1800	IN	A	127.0.0.1"),
+		},
+		Ns: miekAuth,
+	},
+	{
+		Qname: "dname.miek.nl.", Qtype: dns.TypeMX,
+		Answer: []dns.RR{},
+		Ns: []dns.RR{
+			test.SOA("miek.nl.	1800	IN	SOA	linode.atoom.net. miek.miek.nl. 1282630057 14400 3600 604800 14400"),
+		},
+	},
+	{
+		Qname: "a.dname.miek.nl.", Qtype: dns.TypeA,
+		Answer: []dns.RR{
+			test.CNAME("a.dname.miek.nl.	1800	IN	CNAME	a.test.miek.nl."),
+			test.A("a.test.miek.nl.	1800	IN	A	139.162.196.78"),
+			test.DNAME("dname.miek.nl.	1800	IN	DNAME	test.miek.nl."),
+		},
+		Ns: miekAuth,
+	},
+	{
+		Qname: "www.dname.miek.nl.", Qtype: dns.TypeA,
+		Answer: []dns.RR{
+			test.A("a.test.miek.nl.	1800	IN	A	139.162.196.78"),
+			test.DNAME("dname.miek.nl.	1800	IN	DNAME	test.miek.nl."),
+			test.CNAME("www.dname.miek.nl.	1800	IN	CNAME	www.test.miek.nl."),
+			test.CNAME("www.test.miek.nl.	1800	IN	CNAME	a.test.miek.nl."),
+		},
+		Ns: miekAuth,
+	},
+}
+
+func TestLookupDNAME(t *testing.T) {
+	zone, err := Parse(strings.NewReader(dbMiekNLDNAME), testzone, "stdin")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Expect no error when reading zone, got %q", err)
+	}
+
+	fm := File{Next: test.ErrorHandler(), Zones: Zones{Z: map[string]*Zone{testzone: zone}, Names: []string{testzone}}}
+	ctx := context.TODO()
+
+	for _, tc := range dnameTestCases {
+		m := tc.Msg()
+
+		rec := dnsrecorder.New(&test.ResponseWriter{})
+		_, err := fm.ServeDNS(ctx, rec, m)
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Errorf("Expected no error, got %v\n", err)
+			return
+		}
+
+		resp := rec.Msg
+		sort.Sort(test.RRSet(resp.Answer))
+		sort.Sort(test.RRSet(resp.Ns))
+		sort.Sort(test.RRSet(resp.Extra))
+
+		if !test.Header(t, tc, resp) {
+			t.Logf("%v\n", resp)
+			continue
+		}
+		if !test.Section(t, tc, test.Answer, resp.Answer) {
+			t.Logf("%v\n", resp)
+		}
+		if !test.Section(t, tc, test.Ns, resp.Ns) {
+			t.Logf("%v\n", resp)
+		}
+		if !test.Section(t, tc, test.Extra, resp.Extra) {
+			t.Logf("%v\n", resp)
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+const dbMiekNLDNAME = `
+$TTL    30M
+$ORIGIN miek.nl.
+@       IN      SOA     linode.atoom.net. miek.miek.nl. (
+                             1282630057 ; Serial
+                             4H         ; Refresh
+                             1H         ; Retry
+                             7D         ; Expire
+                             4H )       ; Negative Cache TTL
+                IN      NS      linode.atoom.net.
+                IN      NS      ns-ext.nlnetlabs.nl.
+                IN      NS      omval.tednet.nl.
+                IN      NS      ext.ns.whyscream.net.
+
+test            IN      MX      1  aspmx.l.google.com.
+                IN      MX      5  alt1.aspmx.l.google.com.
+                IN      MX      5  alt2.aspmx.l.google.com.
+                IN      MX      10 aspmx2.googlemail.com.
+                IN      MX      10 aspmx3.googlemail.com.
+a.test          IN      A       139.162.196.78
+                IN      AAAA    2a01:7e00::f03c:91ff:fef1:6735
+www.test        IN      CNAME   a.test
+
+dname           IN      DNAME   test
+dname           IN      A       127.0.0.1
+a.dname         IN      A       127.0.0.1
+`
diff --git a/middleware/file/lookup.go b/middleware/file/lookup.go
index 94ec0e726..2e95e42c7 100644
--- a/middleware/file/lookup.go
+++ b/middleware/file/lookup.go
@@ -63,7 +63,7 @@ func (z *Zone) Lookup(state request.Request, qname string) ([]dns.RR, []dns.RR,
 	//   use the wildcard.
 	//
 	// Main for-loop handles delegation and finding or not finding the qname.
-	// If found we check if it is a CNAME and do CNAME processing (DNAME should be added as well)
+	// If found we check if it is a CNAME/DNAME and do CNAME processing
 	// We also check if we have type and do a nodata resposne.
 	//
 	// If not found, we check the potential wildcard, and use that for further processing.
@@ -95,6 +95,24 @@ func (z *Zone) Lookup(state request.Request, qname string) ([]dns.RR, []dns.RR,
 			continue
 		}
 
+		// If we see DNAME records, we should return those.
+		if dnamerrs := elem.Types(dns.TypeDNAME); dnamerrs != nil {
+			// Only one DNAME is allowed per name. We just pick the first one.
+			dname := dnamerrs[0]
+			if cname := synthesizeCNAME(state.Name(), dname.(*dns.DNAME)); cname != nil {
+				answer, ns, extra, rcode := z.searchCNAME(state, elem, []dns.RR{cname})
+
+				// The relevant DNAME RR should be included in the answer section,
+				// if the DNAME is being employed as a substitution instruction.
+				answer = append([]dns.RR{dname}, answer...)
+
+				return answer, ns, extra, rcode
+			}
+			// The domain name that owns a DNAME record is allowed to have other RR types
+			// at that domain name, except those have restrictions on what they can coexist
+			// with (e.g. another DNAME). So there is nothing special left here.
+		}
+
 		// If we see NS records, it means the name as been delegated, and we should return the delegation.
 		if nsrrs := elem.Types(dns.TypeNS); nsrrs != nil {
 			glue := z.Glue(nsrrs, do)
@@ -122,7 +140,6 @@ func (z *Zone) Lookup(state request.Request, qname string) ([]dns.RR, []dns.RR,
 	// Found entire name.
 	if found && shot {
 
-		// DNAME...?
 		if rrs := elem.Types(dns.TypeCNAME); len(rrs) > 0 && qtype != dns.TypeCNAME {
 			return z.searchCNAME(state, elem, rrs)
 		}
diff --git a/middleware/test/helpers.go b/middleware/test/helpers.go
index 339385a23..0ac329ec0 100644
--- a/middleware/test/helpers.go
+++ b/middleware/test/helpers.go
@@ -61,6 +61,9 @@ func AAAA(rr string) *dns.AAAA { r, _ := dns.NewRR(rr); return r.(*dns.AAAA) }
 // CNAME returns a CNAME record from rr. It panics on errors.
 func CNAME(rr string) *dns.CNAME { r, _ := dns.NewRR(rr); return r.(*dns.CNAME) }
 
+// DNAME returns a DNAME record from rr. It panics on errors.
+func DNAME(rr string) *dns.DNAME { r, _ := dns.NewRR(rr); return r.(*dns.DNAME) }
+
 // SRV returns a SRV record from rr. It panics on errors.
 func SRV(rr string) *dns.SRV { r, _ := dns.NewRR(rr); return r.(*dns.SRV) }