diff --git a/cinderclient/tests/unit/v2/fakes.py b/cinderclient/tests/unit/v2/fakes.py
index 3c9d02843..d2bcae4c0 100644
--- a/cinderclient/tests/unit/v2/fakes.py
+++ b/cinderclient/tests/unit/v2/fakes.py
@@ -770,6 +770,13 @@ class FakeHTTPClient(base_client.HTTPClient):
     def put_types_1(self, **kw):
         return self.get_types_1()
 
+    def put_types_3(self, **kw):
+        return (200, {}, {'volume_type': {'id': 3,
+                          'name': 'test-type-2',
+                          'description': 'test_type-3-desc',
+                          'is_public': True,
+                          'extra_specs': {}}})
+
     #
     # VolumeAccess
     #
diff --git a/cinderclient/tests/unit/v2/test_shell.py b/cinderclient/tests/unit/v2/test_shell.py
index 7134a0b28..6226467a5 100644
--- a/cinderclient/tests/unit/v2/test_shell.py
+++ b/cinderclient/tests/unit/v2/test_shell.py
@@ -744,6 +744,10 @@ class ShellTest(utils.TestCase):
                           '--description=test_type-1-desc '
                           '--is-public=invalid_bool 1')
 
+    def test_type_update_without_args(self):
+        self.assertRaises(exceptions.CommandError, self.run_command,
+                          'type-update 1')
+
     def test_type_access_list(self):
         self.run_command('type-access-list --volume-type 3')
         self.assert_called('GET', '/types/3/os-volume-type-access')
diff --git a/cinderclient/tests/unit/v2/test_types.py b/cinderclient/tests/unit/v2/test_types.py
index 0a6fb8c45..0cb8981f4 100644
--- a/cinderclient/tests/unit/v2/test_types.py
+++ b/cinderclient/tests/unit/v2/test_types.py
@@ -67,6 +67,27 @@ class TypesTest(utils.TestCase):
         self.assertIsInstance(t, volume_types.VolumeType)
         self._assert_request_id(t)
 
+    def test_update_name(self):
+        """Test volume_type update shell command
+
+        Verify that only name is updated and the description and
+        is_public properties remains unchanged.
+        """
+        # create volume_type with is_public True
+        t = cs.volume_types.create('test-type-3', 'test_type-3-desc', True)
+        self.assertTrue(t.is_public)
+        # update name only
+        t1 = cs.volume_types.update(t.id, 'test-type-2')
+        cs.assert_called('PUT',
+                         '/types/3',
+                         {'volume_type': {'name': 'test-type-2',
+                                          'description': None}})
+        # verify that name is updated and the description
+        # and is_public are the same.
+        self.assertEqual('test-type-2', t1.name)
+        self.assertEqual('test_type-3-desc', t1.description)
+        self.assertTrue(t1.is_public)
+
     def test_get(self):
         t = cs.volume_types.get('1')
         cs.assert_called('GET', '/types/1')
diff --git a/cinderclient/v3/shell.py b/cinderclient/v3/shell.py
index 1b389799c..48ceee81d 100644
--- a/cinderclient/v3/shell.py
+++ b/cinderclient/v3/shell.py
@@ -1004,7 +1004,13 @@ def do_group_type_show(cs, args):
 @utils.service_type('volumev3')
 def do_type_update(cs, args):
     """Updates volume type name, description, and/or is_public."""
-    is_public = strutils.bool_from_string(args.is_public, strict=True)
+    is_public = args.is_public
+    if args.name is None and args.description is None and is_public is None:
+        raise exceptions.CommandError('Specify a new type name, description, '
+                                      'is_public or a combination thereof.')
+
+    if is_public is not None:
+        is_public = strutils.bool_from_string(args.is_public, strict=True)
     vtype = cs.volume_types.update(args.id, args.name, args.description,
                                    is_public)
     _print_volume_type_list([vtype])