diff --git a/packages/jaeger-ui/src/model/transform-trace-data.test.js b/packages/jaeger-ui/src/model/transform-trace-data.test.js
index 99c2bbad25..8dfa857fdc 100644
--- a/packages/jaeger-ui/src/model/transform-trace-data.test.js
+++ b/packages/jaeger-ui/src/model/transform-trace-data.test.js
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 // See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
 // limitations under the License.
 
-import { orderTags, deduplicateTags } from './transform-trace-data';
+import transformTraceData, { orderTags, deduplicateTags } from './transform-trace-data';
 
 describe('orderTags()', () => {
   it('correctly orders tags', () => {
@@ -53,3 +53,111 @@ describe('deduplicateTags()', () => {
     expect(tagsInfo.warnings).toEqual(['Duplicate tag "b.ip:8.8.4.4"']);
   });
 });
+
+describe('transformTraceData()', () => {
+  const startTime = 1586160015434000;
+  const duration = 34000;
+  const traceID = 'f77950feed55c1ce91dd8e87896623a6';
+  const rootSpanID = 'd4dcb46e95b781f5';
+  const rootOperationName = 'rootOperation';
+  const serviceName = 'serviceName';
+
+  const spans = [
+    {
+      traceID,
+      spanID: '41f71485ed2593e4',
+      operationName: 'someOperationName',
+      references: [
+        {
+          refType: 'CHILD_OF',
+          traceID,
+          spanID: rootSpanID,
+        },
+      ],
+      startTime,
+      duration,
+      tags: [],
+      processID: 'p1',
+    },
+    {
+      traceID,
+      spanID: '4f623fd33c213cba',
+      operationName: 'anotherOperationName',
+      references: [
+        {
+          refType: 'CHILD_OF',
+          traceID,
+          spanID: rootSpanID,
+        },
+      ],
+      startTime: startTime + 100,
+      duration,
+      tags: [],
+      processID: 'p1',
+    },
+  ];
+
+  const rootSpanWithMissingRef = {
+    traceID,
+    spanID: rootSpanID,
+    operationName: rootOperationName,
+    references: [
+      {
+        refType: 'CHILD_OF',
+        traceID,
+        spanID: 'missingSpanId',
+      },
+    ],
+    startTime: startTime + 50,
+    duration,
+    tags: [],
+    processID: 'p1',
+  };
+
+  const rootSpanWithoutRefs = {
+    traceID,
+    spanID: rootSpanID,
+    operationName: rootOperationName,
+    startTime: startTime + 50,
+    duration,
+    tags: [],
+    processID: 'p1',
+  };
+
+  const processes = {
+    p1: {
+      serviceName,
+      tags: [],
+    },
+  };
+
+  it('should return null for trace without traceID', () => {
+    const traceData = {
+      traceID: undefined,
+      processes,
+      spans,
+    };
+
+    expect(transformTraceData(traceData)).toEqual(null);
+  });
+
+  it('should return trace data with correct traceName based on root span with missing ref', () => {
+    const traceData = {
+      traceID,
+      processes,
+      spans: [...spans, rootSpanWithMissingRef],
+    };
+
+    expect(transformTraceData(traceData).traceName).toEqual(`${serviceName}: ${rootOperationName}`);
+  });
+
+  it('should return trace data with correct traceName based on root span without any refs', () => {
+    const traceData = {
+      traceID,
+      processes,
+      spans: [...spans, rootSpanWithoutRefs],
+    };
+
+    expect(transformTraceData(traceData).traceName).toEqual(`${serviceName}: ${rootOperationName}`);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/jaeger-ui/src/model/transform-trace-data.tsx b/packages/jaeger-ui/src/model/transform-trace-data.tsx
index 04e0615515..3ec49f73ce 100644
--- a/packages/jaeger-ui/src/model/transform-trace-data.tsx
+++ b/packages/jaeger-ui/src/model/transform-trace-data.tsx
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ import _isEqual from 'lodash/isEqual';
 
 import { getTraceSpanIdsAsTree } from '../selectors/trace';
 import { getConfigValue } from '../utils/config/get-config';
+import { getTraceName } from './trace-viewer';
 import { KeyValuePair, Span, SpanData, Trace, TraceData } from '../types/trace';
 import TreeNode from '../utils/TreeNode';
 
@@ -120,7 +121,6 @@ export default function transformTraceData(data: TraceData & { spans: SpanData[]
   const tree = getTraceSpanIdsAsTree(data);
   const spans: Span[] = [];
   const svcCounts: Record<string, number> = {};
-  let traceName = '';
 
   tree.walk((spanID: string, node: TreeNode, depth: number = 0) => {
     if (spanID === '__root__') {
@@ -132,9 +132,6 @@ export default function transformTraceData(data: TraceData & { spans: SpanData[]
     }
     const { serviceName } = span.process;
     svcCounts[serviceName] = (svcCounts[serviceName] || 0) + 1;
-    if (!span.references || !span.references.length) {
-      traceName = `${serviceName}: ${span.operationName}`;
-    }
     span.relativeStartTime = span.startTime - traceStartTime;
     span.depth = depth - 1;
     span.hasChildren = node.children.length > 0;
@@ -163,6 +160,7 @@ export default function transformTraceData(data: TraceData & { spans: SpanData[]
     });
     spans.push(span);
   });
+  const traceName = getTraceName(spans);
   const services = Object.keys(svcCounts).map(name => ({ name, numberOfSpans: svcCounts[name] }));
   return {
     services,