diff --git a/nova/api/openstack/compute/legacy_v2/contrib/server_external_events.py b/nova/api/openstack/compute/legacy_v2/contrib/server_external_events.py
index 7a015759e94d..65ba052ad73d 100644
--- a/nova/api/openstack/compute/legacy_v2/contrib/server_external_events.py
+++ b/nova/api/openstack/compute/legacy_v2/contrib/server_external_events.py
@@ -60,6 +60,10 @@ class ServerExternalEventsController(wsgi.Controller):
                 raise webob.exc.HTTPBadRequest(
                     _('Invalid event status `%s\'') % status)
 
+            if client_event.get('name') not in external_event_obj.EVENT_NAMES:
+                raise webob.exc.HTTPBadRequest(
+                    _('Invalid event name %s') % client_event.get('name'))
+
             try:
                 event.instance_uuid = client_event.pop('server_uuid')
                 event.name = client_event.pop('name')
diff --git a/nova/api/openstack/compute/schemas/server_external_events.py b/nova/api/openstack/compute/schemas/server_external_events.py
index 792720c4c1ee..c8c7ebdc238b 100644
--- a/nova/api/openstack/compute/schemas/server_external_events.py
+++ b/nova/api/openstack/compute/schemas/server_external_events.py
@@ -12,7 +12,6 @@
 #    License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations
 #    under the License.
 
-from nova.api.validation import parameter_types
 from nova.objects import external_event as external_event_obj
 
 create = {
@@ -26,7 +25,10 @@ create = {
                     'server_uuid': {
                         'type': 'string', 'format': 'uuid'
                     },
-                    'name': parameter_types.name,
+                    'name': {
+                        'type': 'string',
+                        'enum': external_event_obj.EVENT_NAMES
+                    },
                     'status': {
                        'type': 'string',
                        'enum': external_event_obj.EVENT_STATUSES,
diff --git a/nova/tests/unit/api/openstack/compute/test_server_external_events.py b/nova/tests/unit/api/openstack/compute/test_server_external_events.py
index 7b35c094993b..f2dddbfd3b93 100644
--- a/nova/tests/unit/api/openstack/compute/test_server_external_events.py
+++ b/nova/tests/unit/api/openstack/compute/test_server_external_events.py
@@ -147,6 +147,12 @@ class ServerExternalEventsTestV21(test.NoDBTestCase):
         self.assertRaises(self.invalid_error,
                           self.api.create, self.req, body=body)
 
+    def test_create_unkown_events(self):
+        self.event_1['name'] = 'unkown_event'
+        body = {'events': self.event_1}
+        self.assertRaises(self.invalid_error,
+                          self.api.create, self.req, body=body)
+
 
 @mock.patch('nova.objects.instance.Instance.get_by_uuid', fake_get_by_uuid)
 class ServerExternalEventsTestV2(ServerExternalEventsTestV21):