diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/avro/AvroSchemaUtil.java b/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/avro/AvroSchemaUtil.java
index 15caea5d1a13..e9cc5ca4a073 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/avro/AvroSchemaUtil.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/avro/AvroSchemaUtil.java
@@ -37,6 +37,8 @@ public class AvroSchemaUtil {
 
   private AvroSchemaUtil() {}
 
+  // Original Iceberg field name corresponding to a sanitized Avro name
+  public static final String ICEBERG_FIELD_NAME_PROP = "iceberg-field-name";
   public static final String FIELD_ID_PROP = "field-id";
   public static final String KEY_ID_PROP = "key-id";
   public static final String VALUE_ID_PROP = "value-id";
@@ -274,4 +276,49 @@ static Schema.Field copyField(Schema.Field field, Schema newSchema, String newNa
 
     return copy;
   }
+
+  static boolean validAvroName(String name) {
+    int length = name.length();
+    Preconditions.checkArgument(length > 0, "Empty name");
+    char first = name.charAt(0);
+    if (!(Character.isLetter(first) || first == '_')) {
+      return false;
+    }
+
+    for (int i = 1; i < length; i++) {
+      char character = name.charAt(i);
+      if (!(Character.isLetterOrDigit(character) || character == '_')) {
+        return false;
+      }
+    }
+    return true;
+  }
+
+  static String sanitize(String name) {
+    int length = name.length();
+    StringBuilder sb = new StringBuilder(name.length());
+    char first = name.charAt(0);
+    if (!(Character.isLetter(first) || first == '_')) {
+      sb.append(sanitize(first));
+    } else {
+      sb.append(first);
+    }
+
+    for (int i = 1; i < length; i++) {
+      char character = name.charAt(i);
+      if (!(Character.isLetterOrDigit(character) || character == '_')) {
+        sb.append(sanitize(character));
+      } else {
+        sb.append(character);
+      }
+    }
+    return sb.toString();
+  }
+
+  private static String sanitize(char character) {
+    if (Character.isDigit(character)) {
+      return "_" + character;
+    }
+    return "_x" + Integer.toHexString(character).toUpperCase();
+  }
 }
diff --git a/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/avro/TypeToSchema.java b/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/avro/TypeToSchema.java
index 50d041c9b2af..7a79c2a07f18 100644
--- a/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/avro/TypeToSchema.java
+++ b/core/src/main/java/org/apache/iceberg/avro/TypeToSchema.java
@@ -86,9 +86,15 @@ public Schema struct(Types.StructType struct, List<Schema> fieldSchemas) {
     List<Schema.Field> fields = Lists.newArrayListWithExpectedSize(fieldSchemas.size());
     for (int i = 0; i < structFields.size(); i += 1) {
       Types.NestedField structField = structFields.get(i);
+      String origFieldName = structField.name();
+      boolean isValidFieldName = AvroSchemaUtil.validAvroName(origFieldName);
+      String fieldName =  isValidFieldName ? origFieldName : AvroSchemaUtil.sanitize(origFieldName);
       Schema.Field field = new Schema.Field(
-          structField.name(), fieldSchemas.get(i), null,
+          fieldName, fieldSchemas.get(i), null,
           structField.isOptional() ? JsonProperties.NULL_VALUE : null);
+      if (!isValidFieldName) {
+        field.addProp(AvroSchemaUtil.ICEBERG_FIELD_NAME_PROP, origFieldName);
+      }
       field.addProp(AvroSchemaUtil.FIELD_ID_PROP, structField.fieldId());
       fields.add(field);
     }
diff --git a/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/avro/TestSchemaConversions.java b/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/avro/TestSchemaConversions.java
index f027f3c07c95..88320dbff45d 100644
--- a/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/avro/TestSchemaConversions.java
+++ b/core/src/test/java/org/apache/iceberg/avro/TestSchemaConversions.java
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@
 
 package org.apache.iceberg.avro;
 
+import com.google.common.collect.Iterables;
 import com.google.common.collect.Lists;
 import java.util.List;
 import org.apache.avro.LogicalTypes;
@@ -277,4 +278,25 @@ public void testComplexSchema() {
     AvroSchemaUtil.convert(schema, "newTableName").toString(true);
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void testSpecialChars() {
+    List<String> names = Lists.newArrayList("9x", "x_", "a.b", "☃", "a#b");
+    org.apache.iceberg.Schema schema = new org.apache.iceberg.Schema(
+        required(1, names.get(0), Types.IntegerType.get()),
+        required(2, names.get(1), Types.StringType.get()),
+        required(3, names.get(2), Types.IntegerType.get()),
+        required(4, names.get(3), Types.IntegerType.get()),
+        required(5, names.get(4), Types.IntegerType.get()));
+
+    Schema avroSchema = AvroSchemaUtil.convert(schema.asStruct());
+    List<String> sanitizedNames = Lists.newArrayList(Iterables.transform(avroSchema.getFields(), Schema.Field::name));
+    List<String> expectedSanitizedNames = Lists.newArrayList("_9x", "x_", "a_x2Eb", "_x2603", "a_x23b");
+    Assert.assertEquals(expectedSanitizedNames, sanitizedNames);
+
+    List<String> origNames = Lists.newArrayList(
+        Iterables.transform(avroSchema.getFields(), f -> f.getProp(AvroSchemaUtil.ICEBERG_FIELD_NAME_PROP)));
+    List<String> expectedOrigNames = Lists.newArrayList(names);
+    expectedOrigNames.set(1, null);  // Name at pos 1 is valid so ICEBERG_FIELD_NAME_PROP is not set
+    Assert.assertEquals(expectedOrigNames, origNames);
+  }
 }