diff --git a/lib/request.js b/lib/request.js
index 68243f52b6d..4f8614b7e87 100644
--- a/lib/request.js
+++ b/lib/request.js
@@ -385,6 +385,10 @@ defineGetter(req, 'subdomains', function subdomains() {
 
   if (!hostname) return [];
 
+  // Strip the optional DNS root label so fully-qualified domain names
+  // produce the same subdomain list as their non-root-qualified form.
+  hostname = hostname.replace(/\.$/, '');
+
   var offset = this.app.get('subdomain offset');
   var subdomains = !isIP(hostname)
     ? hostname.split('.').reverse()
diff --git a/test/req.subdomains.js b/test/req.subdomains.js
index e5600f2eb56..a93b40e681c 100644
--- a/test/req.subdomains.js
+++ b/test/req.subdomains.js
@@ -19,6 +19,19 @@ describe('req', function(){
         .expect(200, ['ferrets', 'tobi'], done);
       })
 
+      it('should ignore a trailing root dot', function(done){
+        var app = express();
+
+        app.use(function(req, res){
+          res.send(req.subdomains);
+        });
+
+        request(app)
+        .get('/')
+        .set('Host', 'tobi.ferrets.example.com.')
+        .expect(200, ['ferrets', 'tobi'], done);
+      })
+
       it('should work with IPv4 address', function(done){
         var app = express();