diff --git a/doc/usage/restructuredtext/directives.rst b/doc/usage/restructuredtext/directives.rst
index 291a6ddc0..b5b0a2980 100644
--- a/doc/usage/restructuredtext/directives.rst
+++ b/doc/usage/restructuredtext/directives.rst
@@ -874,6 +874,19 @@ mainly contained in information units, such as the language reference.
    .. versionchanged:: 1.1
       Added ``see`` and ``seealso`` types, as well as marking main entries.
 
+   .. rubric:: options
+
+   .. rst:directive:option:: name: a label for hyperlink
+      :type: text
+
+      Define implicit target name that can be referenced by using
+      :rst:role:`ref`.  For example::
+
+        .. index:: Python
+           :name: py-index
+
+   .. versionadded:: 3.0
+
 .. rst:role:: index
 
    While the :rst:dir:`index` directive is a block-level markup and links to the
diff --git a/sphinx/domains/index.py b/sphinx/domains/index.py
index d0bdbcfe0..18a256bac 100644
--- a/sphinx/domains/index.py
+++ b/sphinx/domains/index.py
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ from typing import Any, Dict, Iterable, List, Tuple
 
 from docutils import nodes
 from docutils.nodes import Node, system_message
+from docutils.parsers.rst import directives
 
 from sphinx import addnodes
 from sphinx.domains import Domain
@@ -68,19 +69,27 @@ class IndexDirective(SphinxDirective):
     required_arguments = 1
     optional_arguments = 0
     final_argument_whitespace = True
-    option_spec = {}  # type: Dict
+    option_spec = {
+        'name': directives.unchanged,
+    }
 
     def run(self) -> List[Node]:
         arguments = self.arguments[0].split('\n')
-        targetid = 'index-%s' % self.env.new_serialno('index')
-        targetnode = nodes.target('', '', ids=[targetid])
+
+        if 'name' in self.options:
+            targetname = self.options['name']
+            targetnode = nodes.target('', '', names=[targetname])
+        else:
+            targetid = 'index-%s' % self.env.new_serialno('index')
+            targetnode = nodes.target('', '', ids=[targetid])
+
         self.state.document.note_explicit_target(targetnode)
         indexnode = addnodes.index()
         indexnode['entries'] = []
         indexnode['inline'] = False
         self.set_source_info(indexnode)
         for entry in arguments:
-            indexnode['entries'].extend(process_index_entry(entry, targetid))
+            indexnode['entries'].extend(process_index_entry(entry, targetnode['ids'][0]))
         return [indexnode, targetnode]
 
 
diff --git a/tests/test_environment_indexentries.py b/tests/test_environment_indexentries.py
index ad7559ff2..685b36599 100644
--- a/tests/test_environment_indexentries.py
+++ b/tests/test_environment_indexentries.py
@@ -112,6 +112,28 @@ def test_create_seealso_index(app):
     assert index[2] == ('S', [('Sphinx', [[], [('see also documentation tool', [])], None])])
 
 
+@pytest.mark.sphinx('dummy', freshenv=True)
+def test_create_index_with_name(app):
+    text = (".. index:: single: docutils\n"
+            "   :name: ref1\n"
+            ".. index:: single: Python\n"
+            "   :name: ref2\n"
+            ".. index:: Sphinx\n")
+    restructuredtext.parse(app, text)
+    index = IndexEntries(app.env).create_index(app.builder)
+
+    # check index is created correctly
+    assert len(index) == 3
+    assert index[0] == ('D', [('docutils', [[('', '#ref1')], [], None])])
+    assert index[1] == ('P', [('Python', [[('', '#ref2')], [], None])])
+    assert index[2] == ('S', [('Sphinx', [[('', '#index-0')], [], None])])
+
+    # check the reference labels are created correctly
+    std = app.env.get_domain('std')
+    assert std.anonlabels['ref1'] == ('index', 'ref1')
+    assert std.anonlabels['ref2'] == ('index', 'ref2')
+
+
 @pytest.mark.sphinx('dummy', freshenv=True)
 def test_create_index_by_key(app):
     # At present, only glossary directive is able to create index key