diff --git a/src/libvirt_private.syms b/src/libvirt_private.syms
index 500419c177..46051a1048 100644
--- a/src/libvirt_private.syms
+++ b/src/libvirt_private.syms
@@ -2397,7 +2397,7 @@ virSocketAddrSetIPv6AddrNetOrder;
 virSocketAddrSetPort;
 
 # util/virstats.h
-virNetInterfaceStats;
+virNetDevTapInterfaceStats;
 
 # util/virstorageencryption.h
 virStorageEncryptionFormat;
diff --git a/src/libxl/libxl_driver.c b/src/libxl/libxl_driver.c
index 3efa91eee8..e0cb14740a 100644
--- a/src/libxl/libxl_driver.c
+++ b/src/libxl/libxl_driver.c
@@ -4985,7 +4985,7 @@ libxlDomainInterfaceStats(virDomainPtr dom,
     }
 
     if (ret == 0)
-        ret = virNetInterfaceStats(path, stats);
+        ret = virNetDevTapInterfaceStats(path, stats);
     else
         virReportError(VIR_ERR_INVALID_ARG,
                        _("'%s' is not a known interface"), path);
diff --git a/src/lxc/lxc_driver.c b/src/lxc/lxc_driver.c
index a6776a1933..64ff83dd30 100644
--- a/src/lxc/lxc_driver.c
+++ b/src/lxc/lxc_driver.c
@@ -2896,7 +2896,7 @@ lxcDomainInterfaceStats(virDomainPtr dom,
     }
 
     if (ret == 0)
-        ret = virNetInterfaceStats(path, stats);
+        ret = virNetDevTapInterfaceStats(path, stats);
     else
         virReportError(VIR_ERR_INVALID_ARG,
                        _("Invalid path, '%s' is not a known interface"), path);
diff --git a/src/openvz/openvz_driver.c b/src/openvz/openvz_driver.c
index 1dfb1ccf49..cdf39275b5 100644
--- a/src/openvz/openvz_driver.c
+++ b/src/openvz/openvz_driver.c
@@ -2027,7 +2027,7 @@ openvzDomainInterfaceStats(virDomainPtr dom,
     }
 
     if (ret == 0)
-        ret = virNetInterfaceStats(path, stats);
+        ret = virNetDevTapInterfaceStats(path, stats);
     else
         virReportError(VIR_ERR_INVALID_ARG,
                        _("invalid path, '%s' is not a known interface"), path);
diff --git a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
index d86d301a91..54841a074d 100644
--- a/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
+++ b/src/qemu/qemu_driver.c
@@ -11009,7 +11009,7 @@ qemuDomainInterfaceStats(virDomainPtr dom,
         if (virNetDevOpenvswitchInterfaceStats(path, stats) < 0)
             goto cleanup;
     } else {
-        if (virNetInterfaceStats(path, stats) < 0)
+        if (virNetDevTapInterfaceStats(path, stats) < 0)
             goto cleanup;
     }
 
@@ -19204,7 +19204,7 @@ qemuDomainGetStatsInterface(virQEMUDriverPtr driver ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
                 continue;
             }
         } else {
-            if (virNetInterfaceStats(dom->def->nets[i]->ifname, &tmp) < 0) {
+            if (virNetDevTapInterfaceStats(dom->def->nets[i]->ifname, &tmp) < 0) {
                 virResetLastError();
                 continue;
             }
diff --git a/src/util/virstats.c b/src/util/virstats.c
index c4725edbd7..eadb3c9788 100644
--- a/src/util/virstats.c
+++ b/src/util/virstats.c
@@ -50,10 +50,10 @@
  */
 #ifdef __linux__
 int
-virNetInterfaceStats(const char *path,
-                     virDomainInterfaceStatsPtr stats)
+virNetDevTapInterfaceStats(const char *ifname,
+                           virDomainInterfaceStatsPtr stats)
 {
-    int path_len;
+    int ifname_len;
     FILE *fp;
     char line[256], *colon;
 
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ virNetInterfaceStats(const char *path,
         return -1;
     }
 
-    path_len = strlen(path);
+    ifname_len = strlen(ifname);
 
     while (fgets(line, sizeof(line), fp)) {
         long long dummy;
@@ -84,15 +84,15 @@ virNetInterfaceStats(const char *path,
         colon = strchr(line, ':');
         if (!colon) continue;
         *colon = '\0';
-        if (colon-path_len >= line &&
-            STREQ(colon-path_len, path)) {
+        if (colon - ifname_len >= line &&
+            STREQ(colon - ifname_len, ifname)) {
             /* IMPORTANT NOTE!
              * /proc/net/dev vif<domid>.nn sees the network from the point
              * of view of dom0 / hypervisor.  So bytes TRANSMITTED by dom0
              * are bytes RECEIVED by the domain.  That's why the TX/RX fields
              * appear to be swapped here.
              */
-            if (sscanf(colon+1,
+            if (sscanf(colon + 1,
                        "%lld %lld %lld %lld %lld %lld %lld %lld %lld %lld %lld %lld %lld %lld %lld %lld",
                        &tx_bytes, &tx_packets, &tx_errs, &tx_drop,
                        &dummy, &dummy, &dummy, &dummy,
@@ -121,8 +121,8 @@ virNetInterfaceStats(const char *path,
 }
 #elif defined(HAVE_GETIFADDRS) && defined(AF_LINK)
 int
-virNetInterfaceStats(const char *path,
-                     virDomainInterfaceStatsPtr stats)
+virNetDevTapInterfaceStats(const char *ifname,
+                           virDomainInterfaceStatsPtr stats)
 {
     struct ifaddrs *ifap, *ifa;
     struct if_data *ifd;
@@ -138,7 +138,7 @@ virNetInterfaceStats(const char *path,
         if (ifa->ifa_addr->sa_family != AF_LINK)
             continue;
 
-        if (STREQ(ifa->ifa_name, path)) {
+        if (STREQ(ifa->ifa_name, ifname)) {
             ifd = (struct if_data *)ifa->ifa_data;
             stats->tx_bytes = ifd->ifi_ibytes;
             stats->tx_packets = ifd->ifi_ipackets;
@@ -167,8 +167,8 @@ virNetInterfaceStats(const char *path,
 }
 #else
 int
-virNetInterfaceStats(const char *path ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
-                     virDomainInterfaceStatsPtr stats ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
+virNetDevTapInterfaceStats(const char *ifname ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED,
+                           virDomainInterfaceStatsPtr stats ATTRIBUTE_UNUSED)
 {
     virReportError(VIR_ERR_OPERATION_INVALID, "%s",
                    _("interface stats not implemented on this platform"));
diff --git a/src/util/virstats.h b/src/util/virstats.h
index 69f4cf1402..5b771976bd 100644
--- a/src/util/virstats.h
+++ b/src/util/virstats.h
@@ -25,7 +25,8 @@
 
 # include "internal.h"
 
-int virNetInterfaceStats(const char *path,
-                         virDomainInterfaceStatsPtr stats);
+int virNetDevTapInterfaceStats(const char *ifname,
+                               virDomainInterfaceStatsPtr stats)
+    ATTRIBUTE_NONNULL(1) ATTRIBUTE_RETURN_CHECK;
 
 #endif /* __STATS_LINUX_H__ */
diff --git a/src/xen/xen_hypervisor.c b/src/xen/xen_hypervisor.c
index 0177f83a0d..efe5a8f977 100644
--- a/src/xen/xen_hypervisor.c
+++ b/src/xen/xen_hypervisor.c
@@ -1466,7 +1466,7 @@ xenHypervisorDomainInterfaceStats(virDomainDefPtr def,
         return -1;
     }
 
-    return virNetInterfaceStats(path, stats);
+    return virNetDevTapInterfaceStats(path, stats);
 #else
     virReportError(VIR_ERR_OPERATION_INVALID, "%s",
                    _("/proc/net/dev: Interface not found"));