diff --git a/src/cpu/cpu_x86.c b/src/cpu/cpu_x86.c
index 285b272ce8..ce3506be55 100644
--- a/src/cpu/cpu_x86.c
+++ b/src/cpu/cpu_x86.c
@@ -180,6 +180,17 @@ struct _virCPUx86Model {
      * The corresponding features are a genuine part of the new model.
      */
     GStrv addedFeatures;
+
+    /* Pinter to the model this one was derived from. */
+    virCPUx86Model *ancestor;
+
+    /* Pointer to the canonical model if this model is just an alias.
+     * Because the aliases were actually added to the CPU map before their
+     * canonical models, we store this relation in the XML reversed. That is,
+     * this model contains all the data and the canonical model is defined
+     * using this model as an ancestor without adding any additional data.
+     */
+    const virCPUx86Model *canonical;
 };
 
 typedef struct _virCPUx86Map virCPUx86Map;
@@ -1567,6 +1578,7 @@ x86ModelParseAncestor(virCPUx86Model *model,
         return -1;
     }
 
+    model->ancestor = ancestor;
     model->vendor = ancestor->vendor;
     model->signatures = virCPUx86SignaturesCopy(ancestor->signatures);
     x86DataCopy(&model->data, &ancestor->data);
@@ -1582,9 +1594,11 @@ x86ModelParseAncestor(virCPUx86Model *model,
 }
 
 
+/* Updates @changed if signatures are set. */
 static int
 x86ModelParseSignatures(virCPUx86Model *model,
-                        xmlXPathContextPtr ctxt)
+                        xmlXPathContextPtr ctxt,
+                        bool *changed)
 {
     g_autofree xmlNodePtr *nodes = NULL;
     VIR_XPATH_NODE_AUTORESTORE(ctxt)
@@ -1628,14 +1642,17 @@ x86ModelParseSignatures(virCPUx86Model *model,
             return -1;
     }
 
+    *changed = true;
     return 0;
 }
 
 
+/* Updates @changed if vendor changes. */
 static int
 x86ModelParseVendor(virCPUx86Model *model,
                     xmlXPathContextPtr ctxt,
-                    virCPUx86Map *map)
+                    virCPUx86Map *map,
+                    bool *changed)
 {
     g_autofree char *vendor = NULL;
     int rc;
@@ -1658,14 +1675,17 @@ x86ModelParseVendor(virCPUx86Model *model,
         return -1;
     }
 
+    *changed = true;
     return 0;
 }
 
 
+/* Updates @changed if features are added. */
 static int
 x86ModelParseFeatures(virCPUx86Model *model,
                       xmlXPathContextPtr ctxt,
-                      virCPUx86Map *map)
+                      virCPUx86Map *map,
+                      bool *changed)
 {
     g_autofree xmlNodePtr *nodes = NULL;
     size_t i;
@@ -1725,6 +1745,7 @@ x86ModelParseFeatures(virCPUx86Model *model,
     model->removedFeatures = g_renew(char *, model->removedFeatures, nremoved + 1);
     model->addedFeatures = g_renew(char *, model->addedFeatures, nadded + 1);
 
+    *changed = true;
     return 0;
 }
 
@@ -1736,6 +1757,7 @@ x86ModelParse(xmlXPathContextPtr ctxt,
 {
     virCPUx86Map *map = data;
     g_autoptr(virCPUx86Model) model = NULL;
+    bool changed = false;
 
     if (x86ModelFind(map, name)) {
         virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
@@ -1755,15 +1777,28 @@ x86ModelParse(xmlXPathContextPtr ctxt,
     if (x86ModelParseAncestor(model, ctxt, map) < 0)
         return -1;
 
-    if (x86ModelParseSignatures(model, ctxt) < 0)
+    if (x86ModelParseSignatures(model, ctxt, &changed) < 0)
         return -1;
 
-    if (x86ModelParseVendor(model, ctxt, map) < 0)
+    if (x86ModelParseVendor(model, ctxt, map, &changed) < 0)
         return -1;
 
-    if (x86ModelParseFeatures(model, ctxt, map) < 0)
+    if (x86ModelParseFeatures(model, ctxt, map, &changed) < 0)
         return -1;
 
+    if (model->ancestor && !changed) {
+        if (model->ancestor->canonical) {
+            virReportError(VIR_ERR_INTERNAL_ERROR,
+                           _("Cannot set CPU model '%1$s' as canonical name of '%2$s' which is already an alias of '%3$s'"),
+                           model->name,
+                           model->ancestor->name,
+                           model->ancestor->canonical->name);
+            return -1;
+        }
+
+        model->ancestor->canonical = model;
+    }
+
     VIR_APPEND_ELEMENT(map->models, map->nmodels, model);
 
     return 0;