diff --git a/resources/qgis_global_settings.ini b/resources/qgis_global_settings.ini
index 2d830dc1ca54..c501abb6b598 100644
--- a/resources/qgis_global_settings.ini
+++ b/resources/qgis_global_settings.ini
@@ -1,8 +1,10 @@
 [qgis]
+# if formatLayerName is set to true, added layer names will be automatically capitalized and underscores replaced with spaces
+formatLayerName=false
 connections-xyz\OpenStreetMap\authcfg=
 connections-xyz\OpenStreetMap\password=
 connections-xyz\OpenStreetMap\referer=
 connections-xyz\OpenStreetMap\url=http://a.tile.openstreetmap.org/{z}/{x}/{y}.png
 connections-xyz\OpenStreetMap\username=
 connections-xyz\OpenStreetMap\zmax=19
-connections-xyz\OpenStreetMap\zmin=0
\ No newline at end of file
+connections-xyz\OpenStreetMap\zmin=0
diff --git a/src/app/qgisapp.cpp b/src/app/qgisapp.cpp
index 0e668a81d07a..58c29e7439b1 100644
--- a/src/app/qgisapp.cpp
+++ b/src/app/qgisapp.cpp
@@ -4182,6 +4182,8 @@ bool QgisApp::addVectorLayers( const QStringList &layerQStringList, const QStrin
 {
   bool wasfrozen = mMapCanvas->isFrozen();
   QList<QgsMapLayer *> myList;
+  QgsSettings settings;
+
   Q_FOREACH ( QString src, layerQStringList )
   {
     src = src.trimmed();
@@ -4213,7 +4215,10 @@ bool QgisApp::addVectorLayers( const QStringList &layerQStringList, const QStrin
       QFileInfo fi( src );
       base = fi.completeBaseName();
     }
-    base = QgsMapLayer::formatLayerName( base );
+    if ( settings.value( QStringLiteral( "qgis/formatLayerName" ), false ).toBool() )
+    {
+      base = QgsMapLayer::formatLayerName( base );
+    }
 
     QgsDebugMsg( "completeBaseName: " + base );
 
@@ -4257,7 +4262,11 @@ bool QgisApp::addVectorLayers( const QStringList &layerQStringList, const QStrin
       {
         //set friendly name for datasources with only one layer
         QStringList elements = sublayers.at( 0 ).split( QgsDataProvider::SUBLAYER_SEPARATOR );
-        QString subLayerNameFormatted = elements.size() >= 2 ? QgsMapLayer::formatLayerName( elements.at( 1 ) ) : QString();
+        QString subLayerNameFormatted = elements.size() >= 2 ? elements.at( 1 ) : QString();
+        if ( settings.value( QStringLiteral( "qgis/formatLayerName" ), false ).toBool() )
+        {
+          subLayerNameFormatted =  QgsMapLayer::formatLayerName( subLayerNameFormatted );
+        }
 
         if ( elements.size() >= 4 && layer->name().compare( elements.at( 1 ), Qt::CaseInsensitive ) != 0
              && layer->name().compare( subLayerNameFormatted, Qt::CaseInsensitive ) != 0 )
@@ -9998,10 +10007,11 @@ void QgisApp::showLayoutManager()
 QgsVectorLayer *QgisApp::addVectorLayer( const QString &vectorLayerPath, const QString &name, const QString &providerKey )
 {
   bool wasfrozen = mMapCanvas->isFrozen();
+  QgsSettings settings;
 
   freezeCanvases();
 
-  QString baseName = QgsMapLayer::formatLayerName( name );
+  QString baseName = settings.value( QStringLiteral( "qgis/formatLayerName" ), false ).toBool() ? QgsMapLayer::formatLayerName( name ) : name;
 
   /* Eliminate the need to instantiate the layer based on provider type.
      The caller is responsible for cobbling together the needed information to
@@ -10056,7 +10066,11 @@ QgsVectorLayer *QgisApp::addVectorLayer( const QString &vectorLayerPath, const Q
       if ( !sublayers.isEmpty() )
       {
         QStringList elements = sublayers.at( 0 ).split( QgsDataProvider::SUBLAYER_SEPARATOR );
-        QString subLayerNameFormatted = elements.size() >= 2 ? QgsMapLayer::formatLayerName( elements.at( 1 ) ) : QString();
+        QString subLayerNameFormatted = elements.size() >= 2 ? elements.at( 1 ) : QString();
+        if ( settings.value( QStringLiteral( "qgis/formatLayerName" ), false ).toBool() )
+        {
+          subLayerNameFormatted =  QgsMapLayer::formatLayerName( subLayerNameFormatted );
+        }
 
         if ( elements.size() >= 4 && layer->name().compare( elements.at( 1 ), Qt::CaseInsensitive ) != 0
              && layer->name().compare( subLayerNameFormatted, Qt::CaseInsensitive ) != 0 )
@@ -11935,7 +11949,8 @@ QgsRasterLayer *QgisApp::addRasterLayerPrivate(
     freezeCanvases();
   }
 
-  QString baseName =  QgsMapLayer::formatLayerName( name );
+  QgsSettings settings;
+  QString baseName =  settings.value( QStringLiteral( "qgis/formatLayerName" ), false ).toBool() ? QgsMapLayer::formatLayerName( name ) : name;
 
   QgsDebugMsg( "Creating new raster layer using " + uri
                + " with baseName of " + baseName );
diff --git a/src/core/qgsmaplayer.cpp b/src/core/qgsmaplayer.cpp
index d6513da35c0c..1ea937b1d607 100644
--- a/src/core/qgsmaplayer.cpp
+++ b/src/core/qgsmaplayer.cpp
@@ -51,7 +51,6 @@
 #include "qgsvectorlayer.h"
 #include "qgsvectordataprovider.h"
 #include "qgsxmlutils.h"
-#include "qgssettings.h" // TODO: get rid of it [MD]
 #include "qgsstringutils.h"
 
 QString QgsMapLayer::extensionPropertyType( QgsMapLayer::PropertyType type )