diff --git a/Documentation/git-format-patch.txt b/Documentation/git-format-patch.txt
index 4b3f5ba535..df77474c29 100644
--- a/Documentation/git-format-patch.txt
+++ b/Documentation/git-format-patch.txt
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ OPTIONS
 include::diff-options.txt[]
 
 -<n>::
-	Limits the number of patches to prepare.
+	Prepare patches from the topmost <n> commits.
 
 -o <dir>::
 --output-directory <dir>::
diff --git a/builtin/log.c b/builtin/log.c
index eaa1ee0fa7..22d12903ac 100644
--- a/builtin/log.c
+++ b/builtin/log.c
@@ -1056,8 +1056,7 @@ int cmd_format_patch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 	rev.commit_format = CMIT_FMT_EMAIL;
 	rev.verbose_header = 1;
 	rev.diff = 1;
-	rev.combine_merges = 0;
-	rev.ignore_merges = 1;
+	rev.no_merges = 1;
 	DIFF_OPT_SET(&rev.diffopt, RECURSIVE);
 	rev.subject_prefix = fmt_patch_subject_prefix;
 	memset(&s_r_opt, 0, sizeof(s_r_opt));
@@ -1228,10 +1227,6 @@ int cmd_format_patch(int argc, const char **argv, const char *prefix)
 			continue;
 		}
 
-		/* ignore merges */
-		if (commit->parents && commit->parents->next)
-			continue;
-
 		if (ignore_if_in_upstream &&
 				has_commit_patch_id(commit, &ids))
 			continue;
diff --git a/t/t4014-format-patch.sh b/t/t4014-format-patch.sh
index f87434b9f8..07bf6eb49d 100755
--- a/t/t4014-format-patch.sh
+++ b/t/t4014-format-patch.sh
@@ -12,24 +12,29 @@ test_expect_success setup '
 	for i in 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10; do echo "$i"; done >file &&
 	cat file >elif &&
 	git add file elif &&
+	test_tick &&
 	git commit -m Initial &&
 	git checkout -b side &&
 
 	for i in 1 2 5 6 A B C 7 8 9 10; do echo "$i"; done >file &&
 	test_chmod +x elif &&
+	test_tick &&
 	git commit -m "Side changes #1" &&
 
 	for i in D E F; do echo "$i"; done >>file &&
 	git update-index file &&
+	test_tick &&
 	git commit -m "Side changes #2" &&
 	git tag C2 &&
 
 	for i in 5 6 1 2 3 A 4 B C 7 8 9 10 D E F; do echo "$i"; done >file &&
 	git update-index file &&
+	test_tick &&
 	git commit -m "Side changes #3 with \\n backslash-n in it." &&
 
 	git checkout master &&
 	git diff-tree -p C2 | git apply --index &&
+	test_tick &&
 	git commit -m "Master accepts moral equivalent of #2"
 
 '
@@ -51,6 +56,22 @@ test_expect_success "format-patch --ignore-if-in-upstream" '
 
 '
 
+test_expect_success "format-patch doesn't consider merge commits" '
+
+	git checkout -b slave master &&
+	echo "Another line" >>file &&
+	test_tick &&
+	git commit -am "Slave change #1" &&
+	echo "Yet another line" >>file &&
+	test_tick &&
+	git commit -am "Slave change #2" &&
+	git checkout -b merger master &&
+	test_tick &&
+	git merge --no-ff slave &&
+	cnt=`git format-patch -3 --stdout | grep "^From " | wc -l` &&
+	test $cnt = 3
+'
+
 test_expect_success "format-patch result applies" '
 
 	git checkout -b rebuild-0 master &&