diff --git a/include/uv.h b/include/uv.h
index f743019c1..d8ee5f1c9 100644
--- a/include/uv.h
+++ b/include/uv.h
@@ -1893,7 +1893,8 @@ enum uv_fs_event {
 
 struct uv_fs_event_s {
   UV_HANDLE_FIELDS
-  char* filename;
+  /* private */
+  char* path;
   UV_FS_EVENT_PRIVATE_FIELDS
 };
 
@@ -2029,7 +2030,7 @@ UV_EXTERN int uv_fs_event_init(uv_loop_t* loop, uv_fs_event_t* handle);
 
 UV_EXTERN int uv_fs_event_start(uv_fs_event_t* handle,
                                 uv_fs_event_cb cb,
-                                const char* filename,
+                                const char* path,
                                 unsigned int flags);
 
 UV_EXTERN int uv_fs_event_stop(uv_fs_event_t* handle);
diff --git a/src/unix/fsevents.c b/src/unix/fsevents.c
index 7faa1562a..f9c3a400f 100644
--- a/src/unix/fsevents.c
+++ b/src/unix/fsevents.c
@@ -795,7 +795,7 @@ int uv__fsevents_init(uv_fs_event_t* handle) {
     return err;
 
   /* Get absolute path to file */
-  handle->realpath = realpath(handle->filename, NULL);
+  handle->realpath = realpath(handle->path, NULL);
   if (handle->realpath == NULL)
     return -errno;
   handle->realpath_len = strlen(handle->realpath);
diff --git a/src/unix/kqueue.c b/src/unix/kqueue.c
index f86f291fc..5a25e117c 100644
--- a/src/unix/kqueue.c
+++ b/src/unix/kqueue.c
@@ -331,7 +331,7 @@ int uv_fs_event_init(uv_loop_t* loop, uv_fs_event_t* handle) {
 
 int uv_fs_event_start(uv_fs_event_t* handle,
                       uv_fs_event_cb cb,
-                      const char* filename,
+                      const char* path,
                       unsigned int flags) {
 #if defined(__APPLE__)
   struct stat statbuf;
@@ -342,13 +342,13 @@ int uv_fs_event_start(uv_fs_event_t* handle,
     return -EINVAL;
 
   /* TODO open asynchronously - but how do we report back errors? */
-  fd = open(filename, O_RDONLY);
+  fd = open(path, O_RDONLY);
   if (fd == -1)
     return -errno;
 
   uv__handle_start(handle);
   uv__io_init(&handle->event_watcher, uv__fs_event, fd);
-  handle->filename = strdup(filename);
+  handle->path = strdup(path);
   handle->cb = cb;
 
 #if defined(__APPLE__)
@@ -388,8 +388,8 @@ int uv_fs_event_stop(uv_fs_event_t* handle) {
   uv__io_stop(handle->loop, &handle->event_watcher, UV__POLLIN);
 #endif /* defined(__APPLE__) */
 
-  free(handle->filename);
-  handle->filename = NULL;
+  free(handle->path);
+  handle->path = NULL;
 
   uv__close(handle->event_watcher.fd);
   handle->event_watcher.fd = -1;
diff --git a/src/unix/linux-inotify.c b/src/unix/linux-inotify.c
index 7641f383c..20bc17355 100644
--- a/src/unix/linux-inotify.c
+++ b/src/unix/linux-inotify.c
@@ -124,7 +124,7 @@ static void uv__inotify_read(uv_loop_t* loop,
   const char* path;
   ssize_t size;
   const char *p;
-  /* needs to be large enough for sizeof(inotify_event) + strlen(filename) */
+  /* needs to be large enough for sizeof(inotify_event) + strlen(path) */
   char buf[4096];
 
   while (1) {
@@ -219,7 +219,7 @@ int uv_fs_event_start(uv_fs_event_t* handle,
 no_insert:
   uv__handle_start(handle);
   QUEUE_INSERT_TAIL(&w->watchers, &handle->watchers);
-  handle->filename = w->path;
+  handle->path = w->path;
   handle->cb = cb;
   handle->wd = wd;
 
@@ -237,7 +237,7 @@ int uv_fs_event_stop(uv_fs_event_t* handle) {
   assert(w != NULL);
 
   handle->wd = -1;
-  handle->filename = NULL;
+  handle->path = NULL;
   uv__handle_stop(handle);
   QUEUE_REMOVE(&handle->watchers);
 
diff --git a/src/unix/sunos.c b/src/unix/sunos.c
index 3689138cf..b8a39c701 100644
--- a/src/unix/sunos.c
+++ b/src/unix/sunos.c
@@ -391,7 +391,7 @@ int uv_fs_event_init(uv_loop_t* loop, uv_fs_event_t* handle) {
 
 int uv_fs_event_start(uv_fs_event_t* handle,
                       uv_fs_event_cb cb,
-                      const char* filename,
+                      const char* path,
                       unsigned int flags) {
   int portfd;
   int first_run;
@@ -410,12 +410,12 @@ int uv_fs_event_start(uv_fs_event_t* handle,
   }
 
   uv__handle_start(handle);
-  handle->filename = strdup(filename);
+  handle->path = strdup(path);
   handle->fd = PORT_UNUSED;
   handle->cb = cb;
 
   memset(&handle->fo, 0, sizeof handle->fo);
-  handle->fo.fo_name = handle->filename;
+  handle->fo.fo_name = handle->path;
   err = uv__fs_event_rearm(handle);
   if (err != 0)
     return err;
@@ -440,8 +440,8 @@ int uv_fs_event_stop(uv_fs_event_t* handle) {
   }
 
   handle->fd = PORT_DELETED;
-  free(handle->filename);
-  handle->filename = NULL;
+  free(handle->path);
+  handle->path = NULL;
   handle->fo.fo_name = NULL;
   uv__handle_stop(handle);
 
diff --git a/src/win/fs-event.c b/src/win/fs-event.c
index 6132b79c8..f3de57568 100644
--- a/src/win/fs-event.c
+++ b/src/win/fs-event.c
@@ -126,38 +126,38 @@ int uv_fs_event_init(uv_loop_t* loop, uv_fs_event_t* handle) {
 
 int uv_fs_event_start(uv_fs_event_t* handle,
                       uv_fs_event_cb cb,
-                      const char* filename,
+                      const char* path,
                       unsigned int flags) {
   int name_size, is_path_dir;
   DWORD attr, last_error;
-  WCHAR* dir = NULL, *dir_to_watch, *filenamew = NULL;
+  WCHAR* dir = NULL, *dir_to_watch, *pathw = NULL;
   WCHAR short_path[MAX_PATH];
 
   if (uv__is_active(handle))
     return UV_EINVAL;
 
   handle->cb = cb;
-  handle->filename = strdup(filename);
-  if (!handle->filename) {
+  handle->path = strdup(path);
+  if (!handle->path) {
     uv_fatal_error(ERROR_OUTOFMEMORY, "malloc");
   }
 
   uv__handle_start(handle);
 
   /* Convert name to UTF16. */
-  name_size = uv_utf8_to_utf16(filename, NULL, 0) * sizeof(WCHAR);
-  filenamew = (WCHAR*)malloc(name_size);
-  if (!filenamew) {
+  name_size = uv_utf8_to_utf16(path, NULL, 0) * sizeof(WCHAR);
+  pathw = (WCHAR*)malloc(name_size);
+  if (!pathw) {
     uv_fatal_error(ERROR_OUTOFMEMORY, "malloc");
   }
 
-  if (!uv_utf8_to_utf16(filename, filenamew,
+  if (!uv_utf8_to_utf16(path, pathw,
       name_size / sizeof(WCHAR))) {
     return uv_translate_sys_error(GetLastError());
   }
 
-  /* Determine whether filename is a file or a directory. */
-  attr = GetFileAttributesW(filenamew);
+  /* Determine whether path is a file or a directory. */
+  attr = GetFileAttributesW(pathw);
   if (attr == INVALID_FILE_ATTRIBUTES) {
     last_error = GetLastError();
     goto error;
@@ -166,22 +166,22 @@ int uv_fs_event_start(uv_fs_event_t* handle,
   is_path_dir = (attr & FILE_ATTRIBUTE_DIRECTORY) ? 1 : 0;
 
   if (is_path_dir) {
-     /* filename is a directory, so that's the directory that we will watch. */
-    handle->dirw = filenamew;
-    dir_to_watch = filenamew;
+     /* path is a directory, so that's the directory that we will watch. */
+    handle->dirw = pathw;
+    dir_to_watch = pathw;
   } else {
     /*
-     * filename is a file.  So we split filename into dir & file parts, and
+     * path is a file.  So we split path into dir & file parts, and
      * watch the dir directory.
      */
 
     /* Convert to short path. */
-    if (!GetShortPathNameW(filenamew, short_path, ARRAY_SIZE(short_path))) {
+    if (!GetShortPathNameW(pathw, short_path, ARRAY_SIZE(short_path))) {
       last_error = GetLastError();
       goto error;
     }
 
-    if (uv_split_path(filenamew, &dir, &handle->filew) != 0) {
+    if (uv_split_path(pathw, &dir, &handle->filew) != 0) {
       last_error = GetLastError();
       goto error;
     }
@@ -192,8 +192,8 @@ int uv_fs_event_start(uv_fs_event_t* handle,
     }
 
     dir_to_watch = dir;
-    free(filenamew);
-    filenamew = NULL;
+    free(pathw);
+    pathw = NULL;
   }
 
   handle->dir_handle = CreateFileW(dir_to_watch,
@@ -257,9 +257,9 @@ int uv_fs_event_start(uv_fs_event_t* handle,
   return 0;
 
 error:
-  if (handle->filename) {
-    free(handle->filename);
-    handle->filename = NULL;
+  if (handle->path) {
+    free(handle->path);
+    handle->path = NULL;
   }
 
   if (handle->filew) {
@@ -272,7 +272,7 @@ error:
     handle->short_filew = NULL;
   }
 
-  free(filenamew);
+  free(pathw);
 
   if (handle->dir_handle != INVALID_HANDLE_VALUE) {
     CloseHandle(handle->dir_handle);
@@ -309,9 +309,9 @@ int uv_fs_event_stop(uv_fs_event_t* handle) {
     handle->short_filew = NULL;
   }
 
-  if (handle->filename) {
-    free(handle->filename);
-    handle->filename = NULL;
+  if (handle->path) {
+    free(handle->path);
+    handle->path = NULL;
   }
 
   if (handle->dirw) {