diff --git a/src/create-matcher.js b/src/create-matcher.js
index a83a05a39..d90ed049c 100644
--- a/src/create-matcher.js
+++ b/src/create-matcher.js
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@ export function createMatcher (routes: Array<RouteConfig>): Matcher {
 
     if (name) {
       const record = nameMap[name]
+      if (process.env.NODE_ENV !== 'production') {
+        warn(record, `Route with name '${name}' does not exist`)
+      }
       const paramNames = getRouteRegex(record.path).keys
         .filter(key => !key.optional)
         .map(key => key.name)
diff --git a/test/unit/specs/create-matcher.spec.js b/test/unit/specs/create-matcher.spec.js
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..916de850c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/unit/specs/create-matcher.spec.js
@@ -0,0 +1,31 @@
+/*eslint-disable no-undef*/
+import { createMatcher } from '../../../src/create-matcher'
+
+const routes = [
+  { path: '/', name: 'home', component: { name: 'home' } },
+  { path: '/foo', name: 'foo', component: { name: 'foo' } },
+]
+
+describe('Creating Matcher', function () {
+  beforeAll(function () {
+    spyOn(console, 'warn')
+    this.match = createMatcher(routes)
+  })
+  beforeEach(function () {
+    console.warn.calls.reset()
+    process.env.NODE_ENV = 'production'
+  })
+
+  it('in development, has logged a warning if a named route does not exist', function () {
+    process.env.NODE_ENV = 'development'
+    expect(() => {
+      this.match({ name: 'bar' }, routes[0]);
+    }).toThrow(new TypeError('Cannot read property \'path\' of undefined'));
+    expect(console.warn).toHaveBeenCalled()
+    expect(console.warn.calls.argsFor(0)[0]).toMatch('Route with name \'bar\' does not exist');
+  })
+  it('in production, it has not logged this warning', function () {
+    this.match({ name: 'foo' }, routes[0]);
+    expect(console.warn).not.toHaveBeenCalled()
+  })
+})