diff --git a/internal/k8sdeps/transformer/hash/namehash.go b/internal/k8sdeps/transformer/hash/namehash.go
index 96d9ce3af..126623b64 100644
--- a/internal/k8sdeps/transformer/hash/namehash.go
+++ b/internal/k8sdeps/transformer/hash/namehash.go
@@ -24,8 +24,6 @@ import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/pkg/transformers"
 )
 
-// nameHashTransformer contains the prefix and the path config for each field that
-// the name prefix will be applied.
 type nameHashTransformer struct{}
 
 var _ transformers.Transformer = &nameHashTransformer{}
diff --git a/pkg/commands/misc/config.go b/pkg/commands/misc/config.go
index 46cde4de8..45d7fd787 100644
--- a/pkg/commands/misc/config.go
+++ b/pkg/commands/misc/config.go
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ func (o *saveOptions) Complete(fsys fs.FileSystem) error {
 
 // RunSave saves the default transformer configurations local directory
 func (o *saveOptions) RunSave(fsys fs.FileSystem) error {
-	m := defaultconfig.GetDefaultPathConfigStrings()
+	m := defaultconfig.GetDefaultFieldSpecsAsMap()
 	for tname, tcfg := range m {
 		filename := filepath.Join(o.saveDirectory, tname+".yaml")
 		err := fsys.WriteFile(filename, []byte(tcfg))
diff --git a/pkg/target/kusttarget.go b/pkg/target/kusttarget.go
index 6c1ffae2e..8283d3832 100644
--- a/pkg/target/kusttarget.go
+++ b/pkg/target/kusttarget.go
@@ -132,8 +132,8 @@ func (kt *KustTarget) loadCustomizedResMap() (resmap.ResMap, error) {
 	if err != nil {
 		errs.Append(errors.Wrap(err, "loadResMapFromBasesAndResources"))
 	}
-	crdPathConfigs, err := config.NewFactory(kt.ldr).LoadCRDs(kt.kustomization.Crds)
-	kt.tcfg = kt.tcfg.Merge(crdPathConfigs)
+	crdTc, err := config.NewFactory(kt.ldr).LoadCRDs(kt.kustomization.Crds)
+	kt.tcfg = kt.tcfg.Merge(crdTc)
 	if err != nil {
 		errs.Append(errors.Wrap(err, "LoadCRDs"))
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/commonannotations.go b/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/commonannotations.go
index f6e1e9fe1..275455904 100644
--- a/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/commonannotations.go
+++ b/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/commonannotations.go
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ limitations under the License.
 
 package defaultconfig
 
-const commonAnnotationPathConfigs = `
+const commonAnnotationFieldSpecs = `
 commonAnnotations:
 - path: metadata/annotations
   create: true
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/commonlabels.go b/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/commonlabels.go
index d70c9ff17..18b87de8f 100644
--- a/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/commonlabels.go
+++ b/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/commonlabels.go
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ limitations under the License.
 
 package defaultconfig
 
-const commonLabelPathConfigs = `
+const commonLabelFieldSpecs = `
 commonLabels:
 - path: metadata/labels
   create: true
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/defaultconfig.go b/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/defaultconfig.go
index b7369a508..d96639a8a 100644
--- a/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/defaultconfig.go
+++ b/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/defaultconfig.go
@@ -22,27 +22,28 @@ import (
 	"bytes"
 )
 
-// GetDefaultPathConfigs returns the default pathConfigs data
-func GetDefaultPathConfigs() []byte {
+// GetDefaultFieldSpecs returns default fieldSpecs.
+func GetDefaultFieldSpecs() []byte {
 	configData := [][]byte{
-		[]byte(namePrefixPathConfigs),
-		[]byte(commonLabelPathConfigs),
-		[]byte(commonAnnotationPathConfigs),
-		[]byte(namespacePathConfigs),
-		[]byte(varReferencePathConfigs),
-		[]byte(nameReferencePathConfigs),
+		[]byte(namePrefixFieldSpecs),
+		[]byte(commonLabelFieldSpecs),
+		[]byte(commonAnnotationFieldSpecs),
+		[]byte(namespaceFieldSpecs),
+		[]byte(varReferenceFieldSpecs),
+		[]byte(nameReferenceFieldSpecs),
 	}
 	return bytes.Join(configData, []byte("\n"))
 }
 
-// GetDefaultPathConfigStrings returns the default pathConfigs in string format
-func GetDefaultPathConfigStrings() map[string]string {
+// GetDefaultFieldSpecsAsMap returns default fieldSpecs
+// as a string->string map.
+func GetDefaultFieldSpecsAsMap() map[string]string {
 	result := make(map[string]string)
-	result["nameprefix"] = namePrefixPathConfigs
-	result["commonlabels"] = commonLabelPathConfigs
-	result["commonannotations"] = commonAnnotationPathConfigs
-	result["namespace"] = namespacePathConfigs
-	result["varreference"] = varReferencePathConfigs
-	result["namereference"] = namespacePathConfigs
+	result["nameprefix"] = namePrefixFieldSpecs
+	result["commonlabels"] = commonLabelFieldSpecs
+	result["commonannotations"] = commonAnnotationFieldSpecs
+	result["namespace"] = namespaceFieldSpecs
+	result["varreference"] = varReferenceFieldSpecs
+	result["namereference"] = nameReferenceFieldSpecs
 	return result
 }
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/nameprefix.go b/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/nameprefix.go
index e81219d9b..94fe07a48 100644
--- a/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/nameprefix.go
+++ b/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/nameprefix.go
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ limitations under the License.
 package defaultconfig
 
 const (
-	namePrefixPathConfigs = `
+	namePrefixFieldSpecs = `
 namePrefix:
 - path: metadata/name
 `
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/namereference.go b/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/namereference.go
index 6289b1037..6b03608ad 100644
--- a/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/namereference.go
+++ b/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/namereference.go
@@ -17,26 +17,26 @@ limitations under the License.
 package defaultconfig
 
 const (
-	nameReferencePathConfigs = `
+	nameReferenceFieldSpecs = `
 nameReference:
 - kind: Deployment
-  pathConfigs:
+  fieldSpecs:
   - path: spec/scaleTargetRef/name
     kind: HorizontalPodAutoscaler
 
 - kind: ReplicationController
-  pathConfigs:
+  fieldSpecs:
   - path: spec/scaleTargetRef/name
     kind: HorizontalPodAutoscaler
 
 - kind: ReplicaSet
-  pathConfigs:
+  fieldSpecs:
   - path: spec/scaleTargetRef/name
     kind: HorizontalPodAutoscaler
 
 - kind: ConfigMap
   version: v1
-  pathConfigs:
+  fieldSpecs:
   - path: spec/volumes/configMap/name
     version: v1
     kind: Pod
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ nameReference:
 
 - kind: Secret
   version: v1
-  pathConfigs:
+  fieldSpecs:
   - path: spec/volumes/secret/secretName
     version: v1
     kind: Pod
@@ -229,7 +229,7 @@ nameReference:
 
 - kind: Service
   version: v1
-  pathConfigs:
+  fieldSpecs:
   - path: spec/serviceName
     kind: StatefulSet
     group: apps
@@ -240,14 +240,14 @@ nameReference:
 
 - kind: Role
   group: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
-  pathConfigs:
+  fieldSpecs:
   - path: roleRef/name
     kind: RoleBinding
     group: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
 
 - kind: ClusterRole
   group: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
-  pathConfigs:
+  fieldSpecs:
   - path: roleRef/name
     kind: RoleBinding
     group: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
@@ -257,7 +257,7 @@ nameReference:
 
 - kind: ServiceAccount
   version: v1
-  pathConfigs:
+  fieldSpecs:
   - path: subjects/name
     kind: RoleBinding
     group: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
@@ -281,7 +281,7 @@ nameReference:
 
 - kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
   version: v1
-  pathConfigs:
+  fieldSpecs:
   - path: spec/volumes/persistentVolumeClaim/claimName
     kind: Pod
   - path: spec/template/spec/volumes/persistentVolumeClaim/claimName
@@ -299,7 +299,7 @@ nameReference:
 
 - kind: PersistentVolume
   version: v1
-  pathConfigs:
+  fieldSpecs:
   - path: spec/volumeName
     kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
 `
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/namespace.go b/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/namespace.go
index 911bd1d9b..431eb0769 100644
--- a/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/namespace.go
+++ b/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/namespace.go
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ limitations under the License.
 package defaultconfig
 
 const (
-	namespacePathConfigs = `
+	namespaceFieldSpecs = `
 namespace:
 - path: metadata/namespace
   create: true
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/varreference.go b/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/varreference.go
index 93432388d..90a6de933 100644
--- a/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/varreference.go
+++ b/pkg/transformers/config/defaultconfig/varreference.go
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ limitations under the License.
 package defaultconfig
 
 const (
-	varReferencePathConfigs = `
+	varReferenceFieldSpecs = `
 varReference:
 - path: spec/template/spec/initContainers/command
   kind: StatefulSet
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/config/factory.go b/pkg/transformers/config/factory.go
index 698ef1ac1..0bf842c64 100644
--- a/pkg/transformers/config/factory.go
+++ b/pkg/transformers/config/factory.go
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ func (tf *Factory) EmptyConfig() *TransformerConfig {
 // This should never fail, hence the Fatal panic.
 func (tf *Factory) DefaultConfig() *TransformerConfig {
 	c, err := makeTransformerConfigFromBytes(
-		defaultconfig.GetDefaultPathConfigs())
+		defaultconfig.GetDefaultFieldSpecs())
 	if err != nil {
 		log.Fatalf("Unable to make default transformconfig: %v", err)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/config/factory_test.go b/pkg/transformers/config/factory_test.go
index 5b0fcabd0..5e835fe43 100644
--- a/pkg/transformers/config/factory_test.go
+++ b/pkg/transformers/config/factory_test.go
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ namePrefix:
 	fakeFS.WriteFile("transformerconfig/test/config.yaml", []byte(transformerConfig))
 	ldr := loader.NewFileLoader(fakeFS)
 	expected := &TransformerConfig{
-		NamePrefix: []PathConfig{
+		NamePrefix: []FieldSpec{
 			{
 				Gvk:  gvk.Gvk{Kind: "SomeKind"},
 				Path: "nameprefix/path",
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/config/factorycrd.go b/pkg/transformers/config/factorycrd.go
index 475f7445b..0742ab5db 100644
--- a/pkg/transformers/config/factorycrd.go
+++ b/pkg/transformers/config/factorycrd.go
@@ -27,15 +27,15 @@ import (
 
 // LoadCRDs parse CRD schemas from paths into a TransformerConfig
 func (tf *Factory) LoadCRDs(paths []string) (*TransformerConfig, error) {
-	pathConfigs := tf.EmptyConfig()
+	tc := tf.EmptyConfig()
 	for _, path := range paths {
-		pathConfig, err := tf.loadCRD(path)
+		otherTc, err := tf.loadCRD(path)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
-		pathConfigs = pathConfigs.Merge(pathConfig)
+		tc = tc.Merge(otherTc)
 	}
-	return pathConfigs, nil
+	return tc, nil
 }
 
 func (tf *Factory) loadCRD(path string) (*TransformerConfig, error) {
@@ -57,13 +57,13 @@ func (tf *Factory) loadCRD(path string) (*TransformerConfig, error) {
 
 	crds := getCRDs(types)
 	for crd, k := range crds {
-		crdPathConfigs := tf.EmptyConfig()
-		err = getCRDPathConfig(
-			types, crd, crd, k, []string{}, crdPathConfigs)
+		tc := tf.EmptyConfig()
+		err = loadCrdIntoConfig(
+			types, crd, crd, k, []string{}, tc)
 		if err != nil {
 			return result, err
 		}
-		result = result.Merge(crdPathConfigs)
+		result = result.Merge(tc)
 	}
 
 	return result, nil
@@ -88,10 +88,11 @@ func getCRDs(types map[string]common.OpenAPIDefinition) map[string]gvk.Gvk {
 	return crds
 }
 
-// getCRDPathConfig gets pathConfigs for one CRD recursively
-func getCRDPathConfig(
-	types map[string]common.OpenAPIDefinition, atype string, crd string, in gvk.Gvk,
-	path []string, configs *TransformerConfig) error {
+// loadCrdIntoConfig loads a CRD spec into a TransformerConfig
+func loadCrdIntoConfig(
+	types map[string]common.OpenAPIDefinition,
+	atype string, crd string, in gvk.Gvk,
+	path []string, config *TransformerConfig) error {
 	if _, ok := types[crd]; !ok {
 		return nil
 	}
@@ -99,8 +100,8 @@ func getCRDPathConfig(
 	for propname, property := range types[atype].Schema.SchemaProps.Properties {
 		_, annotate := property.Extensions.GetString(Annotation)
 		if annotate {
-			configs.AddAnnotationPathConfig(
-				PathConfig{
+			config.AddAnnotationFieldSpec(
+				FieldSpec{
 					CreateIfNotPresent: false,
 					Gvk:                in,
 					Path:               strings.Join(append(path, propname), "/"),
@@ -109,8 +110,8 @@ func getCRDPathConfig(
 		}
 		_, label := property.Extensions.GetString(LabelSelector)
 		if label {
-			configs.AddLabelPathConfig(
-				PathConfig{
+			config.AddLabelFieldSpec(
+				FieldSpec{
 					CreateIfNotPresent: false,
 					Gvk:                in,
 					Path:               strings.Join(append(path, propname), "/"),
@@ -119,8 +120,8 @@ func getCRDPathConfig(
 		}
 		_, identity := property.Extensions.GetString(Identity)
 		if identity {
-			configs.AddPrefixPathConfig(
-				PathConfig{
+			config.AddPrefixFieldSpec(
+				FieldSpec{
 					CreateIfNotPresent: false,
 					Gvk:                in,
 					Path:               strings.Join(append(path, propname), "/"),
@@ -135,9 +136,9 @@ func getCRDPathConfig(
 				if !ok {
 					nameKey = "name"
 				}
-				configs.AddNamereferencePathConfig(ReferencePathConfig{
+				config.AddNamereferenceFieldSpec(NameBackReferences{
 					Gvk: gvk.Gvk{Kind: kind, Version: version},
-					PathConfigs: []PathConfig{
+					FieldSpecs: []FieldSpec{
 						{
 							CreateIfNotPresent: false,
 							Gvk:                in,
@@ -149,7 +150,9 @@ func getCRDPathConfig(
 		}
 
 		if property.Ref.GetURL() != nil {
-			getCRDPathConfig(types, property.Ref.String(), crd, in, append(path, propname), configs)
+			loadCrdIntoConfig(
+				types, property.Ref.String(), crd, in,
+				append(path, propname), config)
 		}
 	}
 	return nil
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/config/factorycrd_test.go b/pkg/transformers/config/factorycrd_test.go
index 495000240..975684071 100644
--- a/pkg/transformers/config/factorycrd_test.go
+++ b/pkg/transformers/config/factorycrd_test.go
@@ -25,6 +25,12 @@ import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/pkg/internal/loadertest"
 )
 
+// This defines two CRD's:  Bee and MyKind.
+//
+// Bee is boring, it's spec has no dependencies.
+//
+// MyKind, however, has a spec that contains
+// a Bee and a (k8s native) Secret.
 const (
 	crdContent = `
 {
@@ -149,10 +155,10 @@ func makeLoader(t *testing.T) ifc.Loader {
 }
 
 func TestLoadCRDs(t *testing.T) {
-	refpathconfigs := []ReferencePathConfig{
+	nbrs := []NameBackReferences{
 		{
 			Gvk: gvk.Gvk{Kind: "Secret", Version: "v1"},
-			PathConfigs: []PathConfig{
+			FieldSpecs: []FieldSpec{
 				{
 					CreateIfNotPresent: false,
 					Gvk:                gvk.Gvk{Kind: "MyKind"},
@@ -162,7 +168,7 @@ func TestLoadCRDs(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			Gvk: gvk.Gvk{Kind: "Bee", Version: "v1beta1"},
-			PathConfigs: []PathConfig{
+			FieldSpecs: []FieldSpec{
 				{
 					CreateIfNotPresent: false,
 					Gvk:                gvk.Gvk{Kind: "MyKind"},
@@ -172,14 +178,14 @@ func TestLoadCRDs(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 
-	expected := &TransformerConfig{
-		NameReference: refpathconfigs,
+	expectedTc := &TransformerConfig{
+		NameReference: nbrs,
 	}
 
-	pathconfig, _ := NewFactory(makeLoader(t)).LoadCRDs(
+	actualTc, _ := NewFactory(makeLoader(t)).LoadCRDs(
 		[]string{"/testpath/crd.json"})
 
-	if !reflect.DeepEqual(pathconfig, expected) {
-		t.Fatalf("expected\n %v\n but got\n %v\n", expected, pathconfig)
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(actualTc, expectedTc) {
+		t.Fatalf("expected\n %v\n but got\n %v\n", expectedTc, actualTc)
 	}
 }
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/config/fieldspec.go b/pkg/transformers/config/fieldspec.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..064addf98
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/transformers/config/fieldspec.go
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2018 The Kubernetes Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package config
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+	"strings"
+
+	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/pkg/gvk"
+)
+
+// FieldSpec completely specifies a kustomizable field in
+// an unstructured representation of a k8s API object.
+// It helps define the operands of transformations.
+//
+// For example, a directive to add a common label to objects
+// will need to know that a 'Deployment' object (in API group
+// 'apps', any version) can have labels at field path
+// 'spec/template/metadata/labels', and further that it is OK
+// (or not OK) to add that field path to the object if the
+// field path doesn't exist already.
+//
+// This would look like
+// {
+//   group: apps
+//   kind: Deployment
+//   path: spec/template/metadata/labels
+//   create: true
+// }
+type FieldSpec struct {
+	gvk.Gvk            `json:",inline,omitempty" yaml:",inline,omitempty"`
+	Path               string `json:"path,omitempty" yaml:"path,omitempty"`
+	CreateIfNotPresent bool   `json:"create,omitempty" yaml:"create,omitempty"`
+}
+
+const (
+	escapedForwardSlash  = "\\/"
+	tempSlashReplacement = "???"
+)
+
+func (fs FieldSpec) String() string {
+	return fmt.Sprintf(
+		"%s:%v:%s", fs.Gvk.String(), fs.CreateIfNotPresent, fs.Path)
+}
+
+// PathSlice converts the path string to a slice of strings,
+// separated by a '/'. Forward slash can be contained in a
+// fieldname. such as ingress.kubernetes.io/auth-secret in
+// Ingress annotations. To deal with this special case, the
+// path to this field should be formatted as
+//
+//   metadata/annotations/ingress.kubernetes.io\/auth-secret
+//
+// Then PathSlice will return
+//
+//   []string{
+//      "metadata",
+//      "annotations",
+//      "ingress.auth-secretkubernetes.io/auth-secret"
+//   }
+func (fs FieldSpec) PathSlice() []string {
+	if !strings.Contains(fs.Path, escapedForwardSlash) {
+		return strings.Split(fs.Path, "/")
+	}
+
+	s := strings.Replace(fs.Path, escapedForwardSlash, tempSlashReplacement, -1)
+	paths := strings.Split(s, "/")
+	var result []string
+	for _, path := range paths {
+		result = append(result, strings.Replace(path, tempSlashReplacement, "/", -1))
+	}
+	return result
+}
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/config/pathconfig_test.go b/pkg/transformers/config/fieldspec_test.go
similarity index 93%
rename from pkg/transformers/config/pathconfig_test.go
rename to pkg/transformers/config/fieldspec_test.go
index d91662418..47366317d 100644
--- a/pkg/transformers/config/pathconfig_test.go
+++ b/pkg/transformers/config/fieldspec_test.go
@@ -37,8 +37,8 @@ func TestPathSlice(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 	for _, p := range paths {
-		pathConfig := PathConfig{Path: p.input}
-		actual := pathConfig.PathSlice()
+		fs := FieldSpec{Path: p.input}
+		actual := fs.PathSlice()
 		if !reflect.DeepEqual(actual, p.parsed) {
 			t.Fatalf("expected %v, but got %v", p.parsed, actual)
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/config/namebackreferences.go b/pkg/transformers/config/namebackreferences.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c0827b4bb
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/transformers/config/namebackreferences.go
@@ -0,0 +1,91 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2018 The Kubernetes Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package config
+
+import (
+	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/pkg/gvk"
+	"strings"
+)
+
+// NameBackReferences is an association between a gvk.GVK and a list
+// of FieldSpec instances that could refer to it.
+//
+// It is used to handle name changes, and can be thought of as a
+// a contact list.  If you change your own contact info (name,
+// phone number, etc.), you must tell your contacts or they won't
+// know about the change.
+//
+// For example, ConfigMaps can be used by Pods and everything that
+// contains a Pod; Deployment, Job, StatefulSet, etc.  To change
+// the name of a ConfigMap instance from 'alice' to 'bob', one
+// must visit all objects that could refer to the ConfigMap, see if
+// they mention 'alice', and if so, change the reference to 'bob'.
+//
+// The NameBackReferences instance to aid in this could look like
+//   {
+//     kind: ConfigMap
+//     version: v1
+//     FieldSpecs:
+//     - kind: Pod
+//       version: v1
+//       path: spec/volumes/configMap/name
+//     - kind: Deployment
+//       path: spec/template/spec/volumes/configMap/name
+//     - kind: Job
+//       path: spec/template/spec/volumes/configMap/name
+//       (etc.)
+//   }
+type NameBackReferences struct {
+	gvk.Gvk    `json:",inline,omitempty" yaml:",inline,omitempty"`
+	FieldSpecs []FieldSpec `json:"FieldSpecs,omitempty" yaml:"FieldSpecs,omitempty"`
+}
+
+func (n NameBackReferences) String() string {
+	var r []string
+	for _, f := range n.FieldSpecs {
+		r = append(r, f.String())
+	}
+	return n.Gvk.String() + ":  (\n" +
+		strings.Join(r, "\n") + "\n)"
+}
+
+func mergeNameBackReferences(
+	a, b []NameBackReferences) []NameBackReferences {
+	for _, r := range b {
+		a = merge(a, r)
+	}
+	return a
+}
+
+func merge(
+	backRefsSlice []NameBackReferences,
+	other NameBackReferences) []NameBackReferences {
+	var result []NameBackReferences
+	found := false
+	for _, c := range backRefsSlice {
+		if c.Equals(other.Gvk) {
+			c.FieldSpecs = append(c.FieldSpecs, other.FieldSpecs...)
+			found = true
+		}
+		result = append(result, c)
+	}
+
+	if !found {
+		result = append(result, other)
+	}
+	return result
+}
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/config/namebackreferences_test.go b/pkg/transformers/config/namebackreferences_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b0b1f3283
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/transformers/config/namebackreferences_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,106 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2018 The Kubernetes Authors.
+
+Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
+you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
+You may obtain a copy of the License at
+
+    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
+
+Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
+distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
+WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
+See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
+limitations under the License.
+*/
+
+package config
+
+import (
+	"reflect"
+	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/pkg/gvk"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+func TestFoo(t *testing.T) {
+	fsSlice1 := []FieldSpec{
+		{
+			Gvk: gvk.Gvk{
+				Kind: "Pod",
+			},
+			Path:               "path/to/a/name",
+			CreateIfNotPresent: false,
+		},
+		{
+			Gvk: gvk.Gvk{
+				Kind: "Deployment",
+			},
+			Path:               "another/path/to/some/name",
+			CreateIfNotPresent: false,
+		},
+	}
+	fsSlice2 := []FieldSpec{
+		{
+			Gvk: gvk.Gvk{
+				Kind: "Job",
+			},
+			Path:               "morepath/to/name",
+			CreateIfNotPresent: false,
+		},
+		{
+			Gvk: gvk.Gvk{
+				Kind: "StatefulSet",
+			},
+			Path:               "yet/another/path/to/a/name",
+			CreateIfNotPresent: false,
+		},
+	}
+
+	nbrsSlice1 := []NameBackReferences{
+		{
+			Gvk: gvk.Gvk{
+				Kind: "ConfigMap",
+			},
+			FieldSpecs: fsSlice1,
+		},
+		{
+			Gvk: gvk.Gvk{
+				Kind: "Secret",
+			},
+			FieldSpecs: fsSlice2,
+		},
+	}
+	nbrsSlice2 := []NameBackReferences{
+		{
+			Gvk: gvk.Gvk{
+				Kind: "ConfigMap",
+			},
+			FieldSpecs: fsSlice1,
+		},
+		{
+			Gvk: gvk.Gvk{
+				Kind: "Secret",
+			},
+			FieldSpecs: fsSlice2,
+		},
+	}
+	expected := []NameBackReferences{
+		{
+			Gvk: gvk.Gvk{
+				Kind: "ConfigMap",
+			},
+			// Current behavior allows repeats of FieldSpec
+			FieldSpecs: append(fsSlice1, fsSlice1...),
+		},
+		{
+			Gvk: gvk.Gvk{
+				Kind: "Secret",
+			},
+			FieldSpecs: append(fsSlice2, fsSlice2...),
+		},
+	}
+	actual := mergeNameBackReferences(nbrsSlice1, nbrsSlice2)
+	if !reflect.DeepEqual(actual, expected) {
+		t.Fatalf("expected\n %v\n but got\n %v\n", expected, actual)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/config/pathconfig.go b/pkg/transformers/config/pathconfig.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 201d71fb6..000000000
--- a/pkg/transformers/config/pathconfig.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,60 +0,0 @@
-/*
-Copyright 2018 The Kubernetes Authors.
-
-Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
-you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
-You may obtain a copy of the License at
-
-    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-
-Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
-distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
-WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
-See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
-limitations under the License.
-*/
-
-package config
-
-import (
-	"strings"
-
-	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/pkg/gvk"
-)
-
-// PathConfig contains the configuration of a field, including the gvk it ties to,
-// path to the field, etc.
-type PathConfig struct {
-	gvk.Gvk            `json:",inline,omitempty" yaml:",inline,omitempty"`
-	Path               string `json:"path,omitempty" yaml:"path,omitempty"`
-	CreateIfNotPresent bool   `json:"create,omitempty" yaml:"create,omitempty"`
-}
-
-const (
-	escapedForwardSlash  = "\\/"
-	tempSlashReplacement = "???"
-)
-
-// PathSlice converts the path string to a slice of strings, separated by "/"
-// "/" can be contained in a fieldname.
-// such as ingress.kubernetes.io/auth-secret in Ingress annotations.
-// To deal with this special case, the path to this field should be formatted as
-//
-// metadata/annotations/ingress.kubernetes.io\/auth-secret
-//
-// Then PathSlice will return
-//
-// []string{"metadata", "annotations", "ingress.auth-secretkubernetes.io/auth-secret"}
-func (p PathConfig) PathSlice() []string {
-	if !strings.Contains(p.Path, escapedForwardSlash) {
-		return strings.Split(p.Path, "/")
-	}
-
-	s := strings.Replace(p.Path, escapedForwardSlash, tempSlashReplacement, -1)
-	paths := strings.Split(s, "/")
-	var result []string
-	for _, path := range paths {
-		result = append(result, strings.Replace(path, tempSlashReplacement, "/", -1))
-	}
-	return result
-}
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/config/referencepathconfig.go b/pkg/transformers/config/referencepathconfig.go
deleted file mode 100644
index 5dacaeb4f..000000000
--- a/pkg/transformers/config/referencepathconfig.go
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,64 +0,0 @@
-/*
-Copyright 2018 The Kubernetes Authors.
-
-Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License");
-you may not use this file except in compliance with the License.
-You may obtain a copy of the License at
-
-    http://www.apache.org/licenses/LICENSE-2.0
-
-Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software
-distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS,
-WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied.
-See the License for the specific language governing permissions and
-limitations under the License.
-*/
-
-package config
-
-import (
-	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/pkg/gvk"
-)
-
-// ReferencePathConfig contains the configuration of a field that references
-// the name of another resource whose GroupVersionKind is specified in referencedGVK.
-// e.g. pod.spec.template.volumes.configMap.name references the name of a configmap
-// Its corresponding referencePathConfig will look like:
-//
-//	ReferencePathConfig{
-//	referencedGVK: schema.GroupVersionKind{Version: "v1", Kind: "ConfigMap"},
-//	pathConfigs: []PathConfig{
-//		{
-//			GroupVersionKind: &schema.GroupVersionKind{Version: "v1", Kind: "Pod"},
-//			Path:             []string{"spec", "volumes", "configMap", "name"},
-//		},
-//	}
-type ReferencePathConfig struct {
-	gvk.Gvk `json:",inline,omitempty" yaml:",inline,omitempty"`
-	// PathConfig is the gvk that is referencing the referencedGVK object's name.
-	PathConfigs []PathConfig `json:"pathConfigs,omitempty" yaml:"pathConfigs,omitempty"`
-}
-
-func merge(configs []ReferencePathConfig, config ReferencePathConfig) []ReferencePathConfig {
-	var result []ReferencePathConfig
-	found := false
-	for _, c := range configs {
-		if c.Equals(config.Gvk) {
-			c.PathConfigs = append(c.PathConfigs, config.PathConfigs...)
-			found = true
-		}
-		result = append(result, c)
-	}
-
-	if !found {
-		result = append(result, config)
-	}
-	return result
-}
-
-func mergeNameReferencePathConfigs(a, b []ReferencePathConfig) []ReferencePathConfig {
-	for _, r := range b {
-		a = merge(a, r)
-	}
-	return a
-}
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/config/transformerconfig.go b/pkg/transformers/config/transformerconfig.go
index 22dc6ddbb..a62693bbb 100644
--- a/pkg/transformers/config/transformerconfig.go
+++ b/pkg/transformers/config/transformerconfig.go
@@ -22,30 +22,30 @@ import (
 	"sort"
 )
 
-type rpcSlice []ReferencePathConfig
+type nbrSlice []NameBackReferences
 
-func (s rpcSlice) Len() int      { return len(s) }
-func (s rpcSlice) Swap(i, j int) { s[i], s[j] = s[j], s[i] }
-func (s rpcSlice) Less(i, j int) bool {
+func (s nbrSlice) Len() int      { return len(s) }
+func (s nbrSlice) Swap(i, j int) { s[i], s[j] = s[j], s[i] }
+func (s nbrSlice) Less(i, j int) bool {
 	return s[i].Gvk.IsLessThan(s[j].Gvk)
 }
 
-type pcSlice []PathConfig
+type fsSlice []FieldSpec
 
-func (s pcSlice) Len() int      { return len(s) }
-func (s pcSlice) Swap(i, j int) { s[i], s[j] = s[j], s[i] }
-func (s pcSlice) Less(i, j int) bool {
+func (s fsSlice) Len() int      { return len(s) }
+func (s fsSlice) Swap(i, j int) { s[i], s[j] = s[j], s[i] }
+func (s fsSlice) Less(i, j int) bool {
 	return s[i].Gvk.IsLessThan(s[j].Gvk)
 }
 
-// TransformerConfig represents the path configurations for different transformations
+// TransformerConfig holds the data needed to perform transformations.
 type TransformerConfig struct {
-	NamePrefix        pcSlice  `json:"namePrefix,omitempty" yaml:"namePrefix,omitempty"`
-	NameSpace         pcSlice  `json:"namespace,omitempty" yaml:"namespace,omitempty"`
-	CommonLabels      pcSlice  `json:"commonLabels,omitempty" yaml:"commonLabels,omitempty"`
-	CommonAnnotations pcSlice  `json:"commonAnnotations,omitempty" yaml:"commonAnnotations,omitempty"`
-	NameReference     rpcSlice `json:"nameReference,omitempty" yaml:"nameReference,omitempty"`
-	VarReference      pcSlice  `json:"varReference,omitempty" yaml:"varReference,omitempty"`
+	NamePrefix        fsSlice  `json:"namePrefix,omitempty" yaml:"namePrefix,omitempty"`
+	NameSpace         fsSlice  `json:"namespace,omitempty" yaml:"namespace,omitempty"`
+	CommonLabels      fsSlice  `json:"commonLabels,omitempty" yaml:"commonLabels,omitempty"`
+	CommonAnnotations fsSlice  `json:"commonAnnotations,omitempty" yaml:"commonAnnotations,omitempty"`
+	NameReference     nbrSlice `json:"nameReference,omitempty" yaml:"nameReference,omitempty"`
+	VarReference      fsSlice  `json:"varReference,omitempty" yaml:"varReference,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // sortFields provides determinism in logging, tests, etc.
@@ -58,24 +58,24 @@ func (t *TransformerConfig) sortFields() {
 	sort.Sort(t.VarReference)
 }
 
-// AddPrefixPathConfig adds a PathConfig to NamePrefix
-func (t *TransformerConfig) AddPrefixPathConfig(config PathConfig) {
-	t.NamePrefix = append(t.NamePrefix, config)
+// AddPrefixFieldSpec adds a FieldSpec to NamePrefix
+func (t *TransformerConfig) AddPrefixFieldSpec(fs FieldSpec) {
+	t.NamePrefix = append(t.NamePrefix, fs)
 }
 
-// AddLabelPathConfig adds a PathConfig to CommonLabels
-func (t *TransformerConfig) AddLabelPathConfig(config PathConfig) {
-	t.CommonLabels = append(t.CommonLabels, config)
+// AddLabelFieldSpec adds a FieldSpec to CommonLabels
+func (t *TransformerConfig) AddLabelFieldSpec(fs FieldSpec) {
+	t.CommonLabels = append(t.CommonLabels, fs)
 }
 
-// AddAnnotationPathConfig adds a PathConfig to CommonAnnotations
-func (t *TransformerConfig) AddAnnotationPathConfig(config PathConfig) {
-	t.CommonAnnotations = append(t.CommonAnnotations, config)
+// AddAnnotationFieldSpec adds a FieldSpec to CommonAnnotations
+func (t *TransformerConfig) AddAnnotationFieldSpec(fs FieldSpec) {
+	t.CommonAnnotations = append(t.CommonAnnotations, fs)
 }
 
-// AddNamereferencePathConfig adds a ReferencePathConfig to NameReference
-func (t *TransformerConfig) AddNamereferencePathConfig(config ReferencePathConfig) {
-	t.NameReference = mergeNameReferencePathConfigs(t.NameReference, []ReferencePathConfig{config})
+// AddNamereferenceFieldSpec adds a NameBackReferences to NameReference
+func (t *TransformerConfig) AddNamereferenceFieldSpec(nbrs NameBackReferences) {
+	t.NameReference = mergeNameBackReferences(t.NameReference, []NameBackReferences{nbrs})
 }
 
 // Merge merges two TransformerConfigs objects into a new TransformerConfig object
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ func (t *TransformerConfig) Merge(input *TransformerConfig) *TransformerConfig {
 	merged.CommonAnnotations = append(t.CommonAnnotations, input.CommonAnnotations...)
 	merged.CommonLabels = append(t.CommonLabels, input.CommonLabels...)
 	merged.VarReference = append(t.VarReference, input.VarReference...)
-	merged.NameReference = mergeNameReferencePathConfigs(t.NameReference, input.NameReference)
+	merged.NameReference = mergeNameBackReferences(t.NameReference, input.NameReference)
 	merged.sortFields()
 	return merged
 }
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/config/transformerconfig_test.go b/pkg/transformers/config/transformerconfig_test.go
index f2d769761..47762f50f 100644
--- a/pkg/transformers/config/transformerconfig_test.go
+++ b/pkg/transformers/config/transformerconfig_test.go
@@ -24,14 +24,14 @@ import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/pkg/gvk"
 )
 
-func TestAddNameReferencePathConfigs(t *testing.T) {
+func TestAddNamereferenceFieldSpec(t *testing.T) {
 	cfg := &TransformerConfig{}
 
-	pathConfig := ReferencePathConfig{
+	nbrs := NameBackReferences{
 		Gvk: gvk.Gvk{
 			Kind: "KindA",
 		},
-		PathConfigs: []PathConfig{
+		FieldSpecs: []FieldSpec{
 			{
 				Gvk: gvk.Gvk{
 					Kind: "KindB",
@@ -42,42 +42,42 @@ func TestAddNameReferencePathConfigs(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 
-	cfg.AddNamereferencePathConfig(pathConfig)
+	cfg.AddNamereferenceFieldSpec(nbrs)
 	if len(cfg.NameReference) != 1 {
-		t.Fatal("failed to add namerefence pathconfig")
+		t.Fatal("failed to add namerefence FieldSpec")
 	}
 }
 
-func TestAddPathConfigs(t *testing.T) {
+func TestAddFieldSpecs(t *testing.T) {
 	cfg := &TransformerConfig{}
 
-	pathConfig := PathConfig{
+	fieldSpec := FieldSpec{
 		Gvk:                gvk.Gvk{Group: "GroupA", Kind: "KindB"},
 		Path:               "path/to/a/field",
 		CreateIfNotPresent: true,
 	}
 
-	cfg.AddPrefixPathConfig(pathConfig)
+	cfg.AddPrefixFieldSpec(fieldSpec)
 	if len(cfg.NamePrefix) != 1 {
-		t.Fatalf("failed to add nameprefix pathconfig")
+		t.Fatalf("failed to add nameprefix FieldSpec")
 	}
-	cfg.AddLabelPathConfig(pathConfig)
+	cfg.AddLabelFieldSpec(fieldSpec)
 	if len(cfg.CommonLabels) != 1 {
-		t.Fatalf("failed to add nameprefix pathconfig")
+		t.Fatalf("failed to add nameprefix FieldSpec")
 	}
-	cfg.AddAnnotationPathConfig(pathConfig)
+	cfg.AddAnnotationFieldSpec(fieldSpec)
 	if len(cfg.CommonAnnotations) != 1 {
-		t.Fatalf("failed to add nameprefix pathconfig")
+		t.Fatalf("failed to add nameprefix FieldSpec")
 	}
 }
 
 func TestMerge(t *testing.T) {
-	nameReference := []ReferencePathConfig{
+	nameReference := []NameBackReferences{
 		{
 			Gvk: gvk.Gvk{
 				Kind: "KindA",
 			},
-			PathConfigs: []PathConfig{
+			FieldSpecs: []FieldSpec{
 				{
 					Gvk: gvk.Gvk{
 						Kind: "KindB",
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ func TestMerge(t *testing.T) {
 			Gvk: gvk.Gvk{
 				Kind: "KindA",
 			},
-			PathConfigs: []PathConfig{
+			FieldSpecs: []FieldSpec{
 				{
 					Gvk: gvk.Gvk{
 						Kind: "KindC",
@@ -102,7 +102,7 @@ func TestMerge(t *testing.T) {
 			},
 		},
 	}
-	pathConfigs := []PathConfig{
+	fieldSpecs := []FieldSpec{
 		{
 			Gvk:                gvk.Gvk{Group: "GroupA", Kind: "KindB"},
 			Path:               "path/to/a/field",
@@ -115,28 +115,28 @@ func TestMerge(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 	}
 	cfga := &TransformerConfig{}
-	cfga.AddNamereferencePathConfig(nameReference[0])
-	cfga.AddPrefixPathConfig(pathConfigs[0])
+	cfga.AddNamereferenceFieldSpec(nameReference[0])
+	cfga.AddPrefixFieldSpec(fieldSpecs[0])
 
 	cfgb := &TransformerConfig{}
-	cfgb.AddNamereferencePathConfig(nameReference[1])
-	cfgb.AddPrefixPathConfig(pathConfigs[1])
+	cfgb.AddNamereferenceFieldSpec(nameReference[1])
+	cfgb.AddPrefixFieldSpec(fieldSpecs[1])
 
 	actual := cfga.Merge(cfgb)
 
 	if len(actual.NamePrefix) != 2 {
-		t.Fatal("merge failed for namePrefix pathconfig")
+		t.Fatal("merge failed for namePrefix FieldSpec")
 	}
 
 	if len(actual.NameReference) != 1 {
-		t.Fatal("merge failed for namereference pathconfig")
+		t.Fatal("merge failed for namereference FieldSpec")
 	}
 
 	expected := &TransformerConfig{}
-	expected.AddNamereferencePathConfig(nameReference[0])
-	expected.AddNamereferencePathConfig(nameReference[1])
-	expected.AddPrefixPathConfig(pathConfigs[0])
-	expected.AddPrefixPathConfig(pathConfigs[1])
+	expected.AddNamereferenceFieldSpec(nameReference[0])
+	expected.AddNamereferenceFieldSpec(nameReference[1])
+	expected.AddPrefixFieldSpec(fieldSpecs[0])
+	expected.AddPrefixFieldSpec(fieldSpecs[1])
 
 	if !reflect.DeepEqual(actual, expected) {
 		t.Fatalf("expected: %v\n but got: %v\n", expected, actual)
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/labelsandannotations.go b/pkg/transformers/labelsandannotations.go
index 0d694531e..46122efe9 100644
--- a/pkg/transformers/labelsandannotations.go
+++ b/pkg/transformers/labelsandannotations.go
@@ -24,34 +24,36 @@ import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/pkg/transformers/config"
 )
 
-// mapTransformer contains a map string->string and path configs
-// The map will be applied to the fields specified in path configs.
+// mapTransformer applies a string->string map to fieldSpecs.
 type mapTransformer struct {
-	m           map[string]string
-	pathConfigs []config.PathConfig
+	m          map[string]string
+	fieldSpecs []config.FieldSpec
 }
 
 var _ Transformer = &mapTransformer{}
 
-// NewLabelsMapTransformer construct a mapTransformer with a given pathConfig slice
-func NewLabelsMapTransformer(m map[string]string, p []config.PathConfig) (Transformer, error) {
-	return NewMapTransformer(p, m)
+// NewLabelsMapTransformer constructs a mapTransformer.
+func NewLabelsMapTransformer(
+	m map[string]string, fs []config.FieldSpec) (Transformer, error) {
+	return NewMapTransformer(fs, m)
 }
 
-// NewAnnotationsMapTransformer construct a mapTransformer with a given pathConfig slice
-func NewAnnotationsMapTransformer(m map[string]string, p []config.PathConfig) (Transformer, error) {
-	return NewMapTransformer(p, m)
+// NewAnnotationsMapTransformer construct a mapTransformer.
+func NewAnnotationsMapTransformer(
+	m map[string]string, fs []config.FieldSpec) (Transformer, error) {
+	return NewMapTransformer(fs, m)
 }
 
 // NewMapTransformer construct a mapTransformer.
-func NewMapTransformer(pc []config.PathConfig, m map[string]string) (Transformer, error) {
+func NewMapTransformer(
+	pc []config.FieldSpec, m map[string]string) (Transformer, error) {
 	if m == nil {
 		return NewNoOpTransformer(), nil
 	}
 	if pc == nil {
-		return nil, errors.New("pathConfigs is not expected to be nil")
+		return nil, errors.New("fieldSpecs is not expected to be nil")
 	}
-	return &mapTransformer{pathConfigs: pc, m: m}, nil
+	return &mapTransformer{fieldSpecs: pc, m: m}, nil
 }
 
 // Transform apply each <key, value> pair in the mapTransformer to the
@@ -59,7 +61,7 @@ func NewMapTransformer(pc []config.PathConfig, m map[string]string) (Transformer
 func (o *mapTransformer) Transform(m resmap.ResMap) error {
 	for id := range m {
 		objMap := m[id].Map()
-		for _, path := range o.pathConfigs {
+		for _, path := range o.fieldSpecs {
 			if !id.Gvk().IsSelected(&path.Gvk) {
 				continue
 			}
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/namereference.go b/pkg/transformers/namereference.go
index 53f10328c..edf859658 100644
--- a/pkg/transformers/namereference.go
+++ b/pkg/transformers/namereference.go
@@ -26,36 +26,36 @@ import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/pkg/transformers/config"
 )
 
-// nameReferenceTransformer contains the referencing info between 2 GroupVersionKinds
 type nameReferenceTransformer struct {
-	pathConfigs []config.ReferencePathConfig
+	backRefs []config.NameBackReferences
 }
 
 var _ Transformer = &nameReferenceTransformer{}
 
 // NewNameReferenceTransformer constructs a nameReferenceTransformer
-// with a given Reference PathConfig slice
-func NewNameReferenceTransformer(pc []config.ReferencePathConfig) (Transformer, error) {
-	if pc == nil {
-		return nil, errors.New("pathConfigs is not expected to be nil")
+// with a given slice of NameBackReferences.
+func NewNameReferenceTransformer(
+	br []config.NameBackReferences) (Transformer, error) {
+	if br == nil {
+		return nil, errors.New("backrefs not expected to be nil")
 	}
-	return &nameReferenceTransformer{pathConfigs: pc}, nil
+	return &nameReferenceTransformer{backRefs: br}, nil
 }
 
-// Transform does the fields update according to pathConfigs.
+// Transform does the fields update according to fieldSpecs.
 // The old name is in the key in the map and the new name is in the object
 // associated with the key. e.g. if <k, v> is one of the key-value pair in the map,
 // then the old name is k.Name and the new name is v.GetName()
 func (o *nameReferenceTransformer) Transform(m resmap.ResMap) error {
 	for id := range m {
 		objMap := m[id].Map()
-		for _, referencePathConfig := range o.pathConfigs {
-			for _, path := range referencePathConfig.PathConfigs {
+		for _, backRef := range o.backRefs {
+			for _, path := range backRef.FieldSpecs {
 				if !id.Gvk().IsSelected(&path.Gvk) {
 					continue
 				}
 				err := mutateField(objMap, path.PathSlice(), path.CreateIfNotPresent,
-					o.updateNameReference(referencePathConfig.Gvk, m.FilterBy(id)))
+					o.updateNameReference(backRef.Gvk, m.FilterBy(id)))
 				if err != nil {
 					return err
 				}
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/namespace.go b/pkg/transformers/namespace.go
index 009d77186..0452b5da8 100644
--- a/pkg/transformers/namespace.go
+++ b/pkg/transformers/namespace.go
@@ -23,12 +23,12 @@ import (
 )
 
 type namespaceTransformer struct {
-	namespace       string
-	pathConfigs     []config.PathConfig
-	skipPathConfigs []config.PathConfig
+	namespace        string
+	fieldSpecsToUse  []config.FieldSpec
+	fieldSpecsToSkip []config.FieldSpec
 }
 
-var skipNamespacePathConfigs = []config.PathConfig{
+var namespaceFieldSpecsToSkip = []config.FieldSpec{
 	{
 		Gvk: gvk.Gvk{
 			Kind: "Namespace",
@@ -54,15 +54,15 @@ var skipNamespacePathConfigs = []config.PathConfig{
 var _ Transformer = &namespaceTransformer{}
 
 // NewNamespaceTransformer construct a namespaceTransformer.
-func NewNamespaceTransformer(ns string, cf []config.PathConfig) Transformer {
+func NewNamespaceTransformer(ns string, cf []config.FieldSpec) Transformer {
 	if len(ns) == 0 {
 		return NewNoOpTransformer()
 	}
 
 	return &namespaceTransformer{
-		namespace:       ns,
-		pathConfigs:     cf,
-		skipPathConfigs: skipNamespacePathConfigs,
+		namespace:        ns,
+		fieldSpecsToUse:  cf,
+		fieldSpecsToSkip: namespaceFieldSpecsToSkip,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ func (o *namespaceTransformer) Transform(m resmap.ResMap) error {
 
 	for id := range m {
 		found := false
-		for _, path := range o.skipPathConfigs {
+		for _, path := range o.fieldSpecsToSkip {
 			if id.Gvk().IsSelected(&path.Gvk) {
 				found = true
 				break
@@ -86,7 +86,7 @@ func (o *namespaceTransformer) Transform(m resmap.ResMap) error {
 
 	for id := range mf {
 		objMap := mf[id].Map()
-		for _, path := range o.pathConfigs {
+		for _, path := range o.fieldSpecsToUse {
 			if !id.Gvk().IsSelected(&path.Gvk) {
 				continue
 			}
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/prefixname.go b/pkg/transformers/prefixname.go
index 2c152cd96..7e3fae4df 100644
--- a/pkg/transformers/prefixname.go
+++ b/pkg/transformers/prefixname.go
@@ -26,36 +26,36 @@ import (
 	"sigs.k8s.io/kustomize/pkg/transformers/config"
 )
 
-// namePrefixTransformer contains the prefix and the path config for each field that
-// the name prefix will be applied.
+// namePrefixTransformer contains the prefix and the FieldSpecs
+// for each field needing a name prefix.
 type namePrefixTransformer struct {
-	prefix          string
-	pathConfigs     []config.PathConfig
-	skipPathConfigs []config.PathConfig
+	prefix           string
+	fieldSpecsToUse  []config.FieldSpec
+	fieldSpecsToSkip []config.FieldSpec
 }
 
 var _ Transformer = &namePrefixTransformer{}
 
-var skipNamePrefixPathConfigs = []config.PathConfig{
+var prefixFieldSpecsToSkip = []config.FieldSpec{
 	{
 		Gvk: gvk.Gvk{Kind: "CustomResourceDefinition"},
 	},
 }
 
-// deprecateNamePrefixPathConfig will be moved into skipNamePrefixPathConfigs in next release
-var deprecateNamePrefixPathConfig = config.PathConfig{
+// deprecateNamePrefixFieldSpec will be moved into prefixFieldSpecsToSkip in next release
+var deprecateNamePrefixFieldSpec = config.FieldSpec{
 	Gvk: gvk.Gvk{Kind: "Namespace"},
 }
 
 // NewNamePrefixTransformer construct a namePrefixTransformer.
-func NewNamePrefixTransformer(np string, pc []config.PathConfig) (Transformer, error) {
+func NewNamePrefixTransformer(np string, pc []config.FieldSpec) (Transformer, error) {
 	if len(np) == 0 {
 		return NewNoOpTransformer(), nil
 	}
 	if pc == nil {
-		return nil, errors.New("pathConfigs is not expected to be nil")
+		return nil, errors.New("fieldSpecs is not expected to be nil")
 	}
-	return &namePrefixTransformer{pathConfigs: pc, prefix: np, skipPathConfigs: skipNamePrefixPathConfigs}, nil
+	return &namePrefixTransformer{fieldSpecsToUse: pc, prefix: np, fieldSpecsToSkip: prefixFieldSpecsToSkip}, nil
 }
 
 // Transform prepends the name prefix.
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ func (o *namePrefixTransformer) Transform(m resmap.ResMap) error {
 
 	for id := range m {
 		found := false
-		for _, path := range o.skipPathConfigs {
+		for _, path := range o.fieldSpecsToSkip {
 			if id.Gvk().IsSelected(&path.Gvk) {
 				found = true
 				break
@@ -77,11 +77,11 @@ func (o *namePrefixTransformer) Transform(m resmap.ResMap) error {
 	}
 
 	for id := range mf {
-		if id.Gvk().IsSelected(&deprecateNamePrefixPathConfig.Gvk) {
+		if id.Gvk().IsSelected(&deprecateNamePrefixFieldSpec.Gvk) {
 			log.Println("Adding nameprefix to Namespace resource will be deprecated in next release.")
 		}
 		objMap := mf[id].Map()
-		for _, path := range o.pathConfigs {
+		for _, path := range o.fieldSpecsToUse {
 			if !id.Gvk().IsSelected(&path.Gvk) {
 				continue
 			}
diff --git a/pkg/transformers/refvars.go b/pkg/transformers/refvars.go
index 505bdffb6..322e80bd7 100644
--- a/pkg/transformers/refvars.go
+++ b/pkg/transformers/refvars.go
@@ -9,15 +9,15 @@ import (
 )
 
 type refvarTransformer struct {
-	pathConfigs []config.PathConfig
-	vars        map[string]string
+	fieldSpecs []config.FieldSpec
+	vars       map[string]string
 }
 
 // NewRefVarTransformer returns a Trasformer that replaces $(VAR) style variables with values.
-func NewRefVarTransformer(vars map[string]string, p []config.PathConfig) Transformer {
+func NewRefVarTransformer(vars map[string]string, p []config.FieldSpec) Transformer {
 	return &refvarTransformer{
-		vars:        vars,
-		pathConfigs: p,
+		vars:       vars,
+		fieldSpecs: p,
 	}
 }
 
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ func NewRefVarTransformer(vars map[string]string, p []config.PathConfig) Transfo
 func (rv *refvarTransformer) Transform(resources resmap.ResMap) error {
 	for resId := range resources {
 		objMap := resources[resId].Map()
-		for _, pc := range rv.pathConfigs {
+		for _, pc := range rv.fieldSpecs {
 			if !resId.Gvk().IsSelected(&pc.Gvk) {
 				continue
 			}