diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/lib/core/construct.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/lib/core/construct.ts
index d6ca456427802..b6e1f680d83b1 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/lib/core/construct.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/lib/core/construct.ts
@@ -374,7 +374,8 @@ export class ConstructNode {
     }
 
     if (childName in this._children) {
-      throw new Error(`There is already a Construct with name '${childName}' in ${this.toString()}`);
+      const name = this.id || '';
+      throw new Error(`There is already a Construct with name '${childName}' in ${this.typename}${name.length > 0 ? ' [' + name + ']' : ''}`);
     }
 
     this._children[childName] = child;
diff --git a/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/test/core/test.construct.ts b/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/test/core/test.construct.ts
index dc786b63b1288..4479c4709140d 100644
--- a/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/test/core/test.construct.ts
+++ b/packages/@aws-cdk/cdk/test/core/test.construct.ts
@@ -209,7 +209,16 @@ export = {
     // THEN: They have different paths
     test.throws(() => {
       new Construct(root, 'SameName');
-    });
+    }, /There is already a Construct with name 'SameName' in Root/);
+
+    // WHEN
+    const c0 = new Construct(root, 'c0');
+    new Construct(c0, 'SameName');
+
+    // THEN: They have different paths
+    test.throws(() => {
+      new Construct(c0, 'SameName');
+    }, /There is already a Construct with name 'SameName' in Construct \[c0\]/);
 
     test.done();
   },