diff --git a/src/frontend/outitf.c b/src/frontend/outitf.c
index 59f631cee..1c778e123 100644
--- a/src/frontend/outitf.c
+++ b/src/frontend/outitf.c
@@ -972,6 +972,7 @@ static void
 fileInit_pass2(runDesc *run)
 {
     int i, type;
+    bool keepbranch = cp_getvar("keep#branch", CP_BOOL, NULL, 0);
 
     for (i = 0; i < run->numData; i++) {
 
@@ -979,7 +980,7 @@ fileInit_pass2(runDesc *run)
 
         type = guess_type(name);
 
-        if (type == SV_CURRENT) {
+        if (type == SV_CURRENT && !keepbranch) {
             char *branch = strstr(name, "#branch");
             if (branch)
                 *branch = '\0';
diff --git a/src/frontend/rawfile.c b/src/frontend/rawfile.c
index a07b23a6e..81826ba13 100644
--- a/src/frontend/rawfile.c
+++ b/src/frontend/rawfile.c
@@ -51,8 +51,10 @@ void raw_write(char *name, struct plot *pl, bool app, bool binary)
     double dd;
     char buf[BSIZE_SP];
     char *branch;
+    bool keepbranch = FALSE;
 
     raw_padding = !cp_getvar("nopadding", CP_BOOL, NULL, 0);
+    keepbranch = cp_getvar("keep#branch", CP_BOOL, NULL, 0);
 
     /* Why bother printing out an empty plot? */
     if (!pl->pl_dvecs) {
@@ -157,7 +159,7 @@ void raw_write(char *name, struct plot *pl, bool app, bool binary)
     fprintf(fp, "Variables:\n");
     for (i = 0, v = pl->pl_dvecs; v; v = v->v_next) {
         /* write i(name) instaed of name#branch */
-        if (v->v_type == SV_CURRENT) {
+        if (v->v_type == SV_CURRENT && !keepbranch) {
             branch = NULL;
             /* get name only*/
             if ((branch = strstr(v->v_name, "#branch")) != NULL) {