diff --git a/docs/source/history.rst b/docs/source/history.rst
index a557d72..692c4f0 100644
--- a/docs/source/history.rst
+++ b/docs/source/history.rst
@@ -6,6 +6,9 @@ dev
 
   - Ignore AssertionError exceptions generated when plugins are
     loaded.
+  - Update :class:`~stevedore.named.NamedExtensionManager` to check
+    the name of a plugin before loading its code to avoid importing
+    anything we are not going to use.
 
 0.7.2
 
diff --git a/stevedore/named.py b/stevedore/named.py
index 17e8b6f..5a0d239 100644
--- a/stevedore/named.py
+++ b/stevedore/named.py
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
-from .enabled import EnabledExtensionManager
+from .extension import ExtensionManager
 
 
-class NamedExtensionManager(EnabledExtensionManager):
+class NamedExtensionManager(ExtensionManager):
     """Loads only the named extensions.
 
     This is useful for explictly enabling extensions in a
@@ -26,12 +26,20 @@ class NamedExtensionManager(EnabledExtensionManager):
 
     def __init__(self, namespace, names,
                  invoke_on_load=False, invoke_args=(), invoke_kwds={}):
-        def check(ep):
-            return ep.name in names
+        self._names = names
         super(NamedExtensionManager, self).__init__(
             namespace,
-            check,
             invoke_on_load=invoke_on_load,
             invoke_args=invoke_args,
             invoke_kwds=invoke_kwds,
             )
+
+    def _load_one_plugin(self, ep, invoke_on_load, invoke_args, invoke_kwds):
+        # Check the name before going any further to prevent
+        # undesirable code from being loaded at all if we are not
+        # going to use it.
+        if ep.name not in self._names:
+            return None
+        return super(NamedExtensionManager, self)._load_one_plugin(
+            ep, invoke_on_load, invoke_args, invoke_kwds,
+            )
diff --git a/stevedore/tests/test_named.py b/stevedore/tests/test_named.py
index c61aad2..17af805 100644
--- a/stevedore/tests/test_named.py
+++ b/stevedore/tests/test_named.py
@@ -1,13 +1,37 @@
 from stevedore import named
 
+import mock
+
 
 def test_named():
     em = named.NamedExtensionManager(
         'stevedore.test.extension',
-        ['t1'],
+        names=['t1'],
         invoke_on_load=True,
         invoke_args=('a',),
         invoke_kwds={'b': 'B'},
         )
-    assert len(em.extensions) == 1
-    assert em.names() == ['t1']
+    actual = em.names()
+    assert actual == ['t1']
+
+
+def test_enabled_before_load():
+    # Set up the constructor for the FauxExtension to cause an
+    # AssertionError so the test fails if the class is instantiated,
+    # which should only happen if it is loaded before the name of the
+    # extension is compared against the names that should be loaded by
+    # the manager.
+    init_name = 'stevedore.tests.test_extension.FauxExtension.__init__'
+    with mock.patch(init_name) as m:
+        m.side_effect = AssertionError
+        em = named.NamedExtensionManager(
+            'stevedore.test.extension',
+            # Look for an extension that does not exist so the
+            # __init__ we mocked should never be invoked.
+            names=['no-such-extension'],
+            invoke_on_load=True,
+            invoke_args=('a',),
+            invoke_kwds={'b': 'B'},
+            )
+        actual = em.names()
+        assert actual == []