diff --git a/src/Raku/Actions.nqp b/src/Raku/Actions.nqp
index 74863ec769e..c8d339735c0 100644
--- a/src/Raku/Actions.nqp
+++ b/src/Raku/Actions.nqp
@@ -1376,8 +1376,10 @@ class Raku::Actions is HLL::Actions does Raku::CommonActions {
         else {
             my str $sigil := ~$<sigil>;
             my str $twigil := $<twigil> ?? ~$<twigil> !! '';
-            my str $desigilname := ~$<desigilname>;
-            self.compile_variable_access($/, $sigil, $twigil, $desigilname, $<desigilname><longname>);
+            my $desigilname := $<desigilname><longname>
+                ?? $<desigilname><longname>.ast
+                !! self.r('Name').from-identifier(~$<desigilname>);
+            self.compile_variable_access($/, $sigil, $twigil, $desigilname);
         }
     }
 
@@ -1400,7 +1402,7 @@ class Raku::Actions is HLL::Actions does Raku::CommonActions {
                     ]))
                 )
             );
-            self.compile_variable_access($/, '&', '', $name.canonicalize, '');
+            self.compile_variable_access($/, '&', '', $name);
         }
         elsif $<desigilname><variable> {
             self.contextualizer-for-sigil($/, ~$<sigil>, $<desigilname><variable>.ast);
@@ -1408,16 +1410,16 @@ class Raku::Actions is HLL::Actions does Raku::CommonActions {
         else {
             my str $sigil := ~$<sigil>;
             my str $twigil := $<twigil> ?? ~$<twigil> !! '';
-            my str $desigilname := $<desigilname><longname>
-                ?? $<desigilname><longname>.ast.canonicalize
-                !! ~$<desigilname>;
-            self.compile_variable_access($/, $sigil, $twigil, $desigilname, $<desigilname><longname>);
+            my $desigilname := $<desigilname><longname>
+                ?? $<desigilname><longname>.ast
+                !! self.r('Name').from-identifier(~$<desigilname>);
+            self.compile_variable_access($/, $sigil, $twigil, $desigilname);
         }
     }
 
-    method compile_variable_access($/, $sigil, $twigil, $desigilname, $longname) {
-        my str $name := $sigil ~ $twigil ~ $desigilname;
-        if $name eq $sigil {
+    method compile_variable_access($/, $sigil, $twigil, $desigilname) {
+        my str $name := $sigil ~ $twigil ~ $desigilname.canonicalize;
+        if $twigil eq '' && $desigilname.is-empty {
             # Generate an anonymous state variable.
             self.attach: $/, self.r('VarDeclaration', 'Anonymous').new(:$sigil, :scope('state'));
         }
@@ -1432,9 +1434,9 @@ class Raku::Actions is HLL::Actions does Raku::CommonActions {
             self.attach: $/, $decl;
         }
         elsif $twigil eq '' {
-            if !$longname || $longname<name>.ast.is-identifier {
+            if $desigilname.is-identifier {
                 if $*LANG.pragma("strict") || $*R.resolve-lexical($name) {
-                    self.attach: $/, self.r('Var', 'Lexical').new($name);
+                    self.attach: $/, self.r('Var', 'Lexical').new(:$sigil, :$desigilname);
                 }
                 else {
                     my $decl := self.r('VarDeclaration','Auto').new(
@@ -1446,7 +1448,7 @@ class Raku::Actions is HLL::Actions does Raku::CommonActions {
             }
             else { # package variable
                 self.attach: $/, self.r('Var', 'Package').new(
-                    :name($longname<name>.ast),
+                    :name($desigilname),
                     :$sigil
                 );
             }
@@ -1479,13 +1481,13 @@ class Raku::Actions is HLL::Actions does Raku::CommonActions {
         }
         elsif $twigil eq '^' {
             my $decl := self.r('VarDeclaration', 'Placeholder', 'Positional').new:
-                    $sigil ~ $desigilname;
+                    $sigil ~ $desigilname.canonicalize;
             $*R.declare-lexical($decl);
             self.attach: $/, $decl;
         }
         elsif $twigil eq ':' {
             my $decl := self.r('VarDeclaration', 'Placeholder', 'Named').new:
-                    $sigil ~ $desigilname;
+                    $sigil ~ $desigilname.canonicalize;
             $*R.declare-lexical($decl);
             self.attach: $/, $decl;
         }
@@ -1511,7 +1513,7 @@ class Raku::Actions is HLL::Actions does Raku::CommonActions {
                     self.r('ApplyPostfix').new:
                         :postfix(
                             self.r('Call', 'Method').new(
-                                :name(self.r('Name').from-identifier($desigilname)),
+                                :name($desigilname),
                                 :args($<arglist> ?? $<arglist>.ast !! self.r('ArgList').new),
                             )),
                         :operand(
@@ -1519,8 +1521,8 @@ class Raku::Actions is HLL::Actions does Raku::CommonActions {
                         ));
         }
         elsif $twigil eq '~' {
-            my $grammar := $/.slang_grammar($desigilname);
-            my $actions := $/.slang_actions($desigilname);
+            my $grammar := $/.slang_grammar($desigilname.canonicalize);
+            my $actions := $/.slang_actions($desigilname.canonicalize);
             self.attach: $/, self.r('Var', 'Slang').new(:$grammar, :$actions);
         }
         else {
diff --git a/src/Raku/ast/literals.rakumod b/src/Raku/ast/literals.rakumod
index 72f9a949464..436e55383bd 100644
--- a/src/Raku/ast/literals.rakumod
+++ b/src/Raku/ast/literals.rakumod
@@ -202,7 +202,9 @@ class RakuAST::QuotedString
         if nqp::elems($!processors) {
             for $!processors {
                 if $_ eq 'val' {
-                    nqp::push(@needed, RakuAST::Var::Lexical::Setting.new('&val'));
+                    nqp::push(@needed, RakuAST::Var::Lexical::Setting.new(
+                        :sigil<&>,
+                        :desigilname(RakuAST::Name.from-identifier('val'))));
                     last;
                 }
             }
diff --git a/src/Raku/ast/name.rakumod b/src/Raku/ast/name.rakumod
index 1b0ed5edb08..4879960fc35 100644
--- a/src/Raku/ast/name.rakumod
+++ b/src/Raku/ast/name.rakumod
@@ -45,7 +45,7 @@ class RakuAST::Name
     }
 
     method is-empty() {
-        nqp::elems($!parts) ?? False !! True
+        (!nqp::elems($!parts) || self.is-identifier && $!parts[0].name eq '') ?? True !! False
     }
 
     method is-simple() {
diff --git a/src/Raku/ast/variable-access.rakumod b/src/Raku/ast/variable-access.rakumod
index 5ca0d999a28..543112274e4 100644
--- a/src/Raku/ast/variable-access.rakumod
+++ b/src/Raku/ast/variable-access.rakumod
@@ -10,22 +10,36 @@ class RakuAST::Var::Lexical
   is RakuAST::Var
   is RakuAST::Lookup
 {
-    has str $.name;
+    has str $.sigil;
+    has str $.twigil;
+    has RakuAST::Name $.desigilname;
 
-    method new(str $name) {
+    method new(str $name?, Str :$sigil, Str :$twigil, RakuAST::Name :$desigilname) {
         my $obj := nqp::create(self);
-        nqp::bindattr_s($obj, RakuAST::Var::Lexical, '$!name', $name);
+        if $name {
+            nqp::bindattr_s($obj, RakuAST::Var::Lexical, '$!sigil', nqp::substr($name, 0, 1));
+            nqp::bindattr_s($obj, RakuAST::Var::Lexical, '$!twigil', '');
+            nqp::bindattr($obj, RakuAST::Var::Lexical, '$!desigilname',
+                RakuAST::Name.from-identifier(nqp::substr($name, 1)))
+        }
+        else {
+            nqp::bindattr_s($obj, RakuAST::Var::Lexical, '$!sigil', $sigil);
+            nqp::bindattr_s($obj, RakuAST::Var::Lexical, '$!twigil', $twigil);
+            nqp::bindattr($obj, RakuAST::Var::Lexical, '$!desigilname', $desigilname);
+        }
         $obj
     }
 
-    method sigil() { nqp::substr($!name, 0, 1) }
+    method name() {
+        ($!sigil // '') ~ ($!twigil // '') ~ $!desigilname.canonicalize
+    }
 
     method can-be-bound-to() {
         self.is-resolved ?? self.resolution.can-be-bound-to !! False
     }
 
     method resolve-with(RakuAST::Resolver $resolver) {
-        my $resolved := $resolver.resolve-lexical($!name);
+        my $resolved := $resolver.resolve-lexical(self.name);
         if $resolved {
             self.set-resolution($resolved);
         }
@@ -33,8 +47,8 @@ class RakuAST::Var::Lexical
     }
 
     method undeclared-symbol-details() {
-        self.sigil eq '&'
-            ?? RakuAST::UndeclaredSymbolDescription::Routine.new($!name)
+        $!sigil eq '&'
+            ?? RakuAST::UndeclaredSymbolDescription::Routine.new(self.name)
             !! Nil
     }
 
@@ -330,7 +344,9 @@ class RakuAST::Var::Compiler::Routine
 {
     method new() {
         my $obj := nqp::create(self);
-        nqp::bindattr_s($obj, RakuAST::Var::Lexical, '$!name', '&?ROUTINE');
+        nqp::bindattr_s($obj, RakuAST::Var::Lexical, '$!sigil', '&');
+        nqp::bindattr_s($obj, RakuAST::Var::Lexical, '$!twigil', '?');
+        nqp::bindattr($obj, RakuAST::Var::Lexical, '$!desigilname', RakuAST::Name.from-identifier('ROUTINE'));
         $obj
     }