diff --git a/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/java/io/swagger/codegen/languages/JavaClientCodegen.java b/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/java/io/swagger/codegen/languages/JavaClientCodegen.java
index 3ea6a28afe07..19f352ae0a5f 100644
--- a/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/java/io/swagger/codegen/languages/JavaClientCodegen.java
+++ b/modules/swagger-codegen/src/main/java/io/swagger/codegen/languages/JavaClientCodegen.java
@@ -376,22 +376,21 @@ public class JavaClientCodegen extends DefaultCodegen implements CodegenConfig {
     }
 
     @Override
-    public String toModelName(String name) {
-        name = super.toModelName(name);
-        name = sanitizeName(name); // FIXME: a parameter should not be assigned. Also declare the methods parameters as 'final'.
+    public String toModelName(final String name) {
+        final String sanitizedName = sanitizeName(modelNamePrefix + name + modelNameSuffix);
 
         // camelize the model name
         // phone_number => PhoneNumber
-        name = camelize(name);
+        final String camelizedName = camelize(sanitizedName);
 
         // model name cannot use reserved keyword, e.g. return
-        if (isReservedWord(name)) {
-            String modelName = "Object" + name;
-            LOGGER.warn(name + " (reserved word) cannot be used as model name. Renamed to " + modelName);
+        if (isReservedWord(camelizedName)) {
+            final String modelName = "Object" + camelizedName;
+            LOGGER.warn(camelizedName + " (reserved word) cannot be used as model name. Renamed to " + modelName);
             return modelName;
         }
 
-        return name;
+        return camelizedName;
     }
 
     @Override