diff --git a/easybuild/toolchains/compiler/nvhpc.py b/easybuild/toolchains/compiler/nvhpc.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..222e9bc277
--- /dev/null
+++ b/easybuild/toolchains/compiler/nvhpc.py
@@ -0,0 +1,53 @@
+##
+# Copyright 2026 Ghent University
+#
+# This file is part of EasyBuild,
+# originally created by the HPC team of Ghent University (http://ugent.be/hpc/en),
+# with support of Ghent University (http://ugent.be/hpc),
+# the Flemish Supercomputer Centre (VSC) (https://www.vscentrum.be),
+# Flemish Research Foundation (FWO) (http://www.fwo.be/en)
+# and the Department of Economy, Science and Innovation (EWI) (http://www.ewi-vlaanderen.be/en).
+#
+# https://github.com/easybuilders/easybuild
+#
+# EasyBuild is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
+# it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
+# the Free Software Foundation v2.
+#
+# EasyBuild is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
+# but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
+# MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
+# GNU General Public License for more details.
+#
+# You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
+# along with EasyBuild.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.
+##
+"""Compatibility module such that compiler.nvhpc.NVHPC and compiler.compiler.nvidia_compilers.NvidiaCompilers
+can be used interchangeably
+"""
+
+import abc
+from easybuild.base import fancylogger
+from easybuild.toolchains.compiler.nvidia_compilers import NvidiaCompilers
+
+_log = fancylogger.getLogger('compiler.nvhpc', fname=False)
+_log.deprecated("easybuild.toolchains.compiler.nvhpc was replaced by "
+                "easybuild.toolchains.compiler.nvidia_compilers in EasyBuild 5.2.0", '6.0')
+
+
+# Former name used in EasyBuild until 5.2.0, now a DEPRECATED alias
+class NVHPC(metaclass=abc.ABCMeta):  # pylint: disable=too-few-public-methods
+    """DEPRECATED alias for NvidiaCompilers."""
+    def __new__(cls, *args, **kwargs):
+        if cls is NVHPC:
+            inst = NvidiaCompilers(*args, **kwargs)
+            inst.log.deprecated(
+                "easybuild.toolchains.compiler.nvhpc was replaced by "
+                "easybuild.toolchains.compiler.nvidia_compilers in EasyBuild 5.2.0", '6.0')
+            return inst
+        return super().__new__(cls)
+
+
+NVHPC.register(NvidiaCompilers)
+
+# TODO EasyBuild 6.0: Remove NVHPC name from NvidiaCompilers.COMPILER_MODULE_NAME
diff --git a/easybuild/toolchains/compiler/nvidia_compilers.py b/easybuild/toolchains/compiler/nvidia_compilers.py
index 1a4e617a7e..62ed37f7c8 100644
--- a/easybuild/toolchains/compiler/nvidia_compilers.py
+++ b/easybuild/toolchains/compiler/nvidia_compilers.py
@@ -45,7 +45,8 @@
 class NvidiaCompilers(Compiler):
     "NVHPC compiler class"
 
-    COMPILER_MODULE_NAME = ['nvidia-compilers']
+    # TODO EasyBuild 6.0: Remove NVHPC name
+    COMPILER_MODULE_NAME = ['nvidia-compilers', 'NVHPC']
 
     COMPILER_FAMILY = TC_CONSTANT_NVHPC
 
@@ -100,7 +101,3 @@ def _set_compiler_flags(self):
         if not self.options.get('optarch', False):
             self.variables.nextend('OPTFLAGS', ['tp=x64'])
         super()._set_compiler_flags()
-
-    def _set_compiler_vars(self):
-        """Set the compiler variables"""
-        super()._set_compiler_vars()
diff --git a/easybuild/toolchains/nvhpc.py b/easybuild/toolchains/nvhpc.py
index 21307a30e9..5156183685 100644
--- a/easybuild/toolchains/nvhpc.py
+++ b/easybuild/toolchains/nvhpc.py
@@ -31,6 +31,7 @@
 * Andreas Herten (Forschungszentrum Juelich)
 * Alex Domingo (Vrije Universiteit Brussel)
 """
+import abc
 from easybuild.toolchains.gcccore import GCCcore
 from easybuild.toolchains.linalg.nvblas import NVBLAS
 from easybuild.toolchains.linalg.nvscalapack import NVScaLAPACK
@@ -45,3 +46,16 @@ class NVHPC(NvidiaCompilersToolchain, NVHPCX, NVBLAS, NVScaLAPACK):
     # GCCcore and system need to be listed as subtoolchains here only for legacy reasons;
     # recent NVHPC toolchains (versions >= 25.0) only have nvidia-compilers are subtoolchain
     SUBTOOLCHAIN = [NvidiaCompilersToolchain.NAME, GCCcore.NAME, SYSTEM_TOOLCHAIN_NAME]
+
+
+class NVHPCToolchain(metaclass=abc.ABCMeta):  # pylint: disable=too-few-public-methods
+    """DEPRECATED alias for NvidiaCompilersToolchain."""
+    def __new__(cls, *args, **kwargs):
+        if cls is NVHPCToolchain:
+            inst = NvidiaCompilersToolchain(*args, **kwargs)
+            inst.log.deprecated("NVHPCToolchain was replaced by NvidiaCompilersToolchain in EasyBuild 5.2.0", '6.0')
+            return inst
+        return super().__new__(cls)
+
+
+NVHPCToolchain.register(NvidiaCompilersToolchain)
diff --git a/test/framework/toolchain.py b/test/framework/toolchain.py
index e306e9df30..fe500b3bc5 100644
--- a/test/framework/toolchain.py
+++ b/test/framework/toolchain.py
@@ -528,7 +528,7 @@ def test_validate_pass_by_value(self):
 
         pass_by_value = True
         ids = []
-        for k, v in tc.variables.items():
+        for _, v in tc.variables.items():
             for x in v:
                 idx = id(x)
                 if idx not in ids:
@@ -908,8 +908,6 @@ def test_misc_flags_unique_fortran(self):
                 flag = tc.COMPILER_UNIQUE_OPTION_MAP[opt]
                 if isinstance(flag, list):
                     flag = ' '.join(flag)
-                else:
-                    flag = flag
                 for var in flag_vars:
                     flags = tc.get_variable(var)
                     if enable:
@@ -3389,6 +3387,42 @@ def test_get_flag(self):
             tc.options.options_map['openmp'] = flags
             self.assertEqual(tc.get_flag('openmp'), flagstring)
 
+    def test_nvhpc_compatibility(self):
+        """Test that software using EasyBuild before 5.2.0 continues working
+        the compiler.nvhpc toolchain being renamed to NvidiaCompilers"""
+        from easybuild.toolchains.nvompi import Nvompi
+        from easybuild.toolchains.compiler.nvidia_compilers import NvidiaCompilers
+        from easybuild.toolchains.nvhpc import NvidiaCompilersToolchain, NVHPCToolchain
+
+        # test deprecation of NVHPC in v5.2.0
+        with self.temporarily_allow_deprecated_behaviour(), self.mocked_stdout_stderr():
+            from easybuild.toolchains.compiler.nvhpc import NVHPC
+            self.assertIn("nvhpc was replaced by easybuild.toolchains.compiler.nvidia_compilers", self.get_stderr())
+
+        # load NVidiaCompilers, deprecated NVHPC corresponds to it
+        tc = NvidiaCompilers(name='NvidiaCompilers', version='2024a')  # Common usage
+        # Might be checked by pre-5.2.0 users
+        self.assertIsInstance(tc, NVHPC)
+
+        # load deprecated NVHPC, NvidiaCompilers corresponds to it
+        with self.temporarily_allow_deprecated_behaviour(), self.mocked_stdout_stderr():
+            tc = NVHPC(name='NVHPC', version='2024a')  # Might be used by pre-5.2.0 users
+            self.assertIn("nvhpc was replaced by easybuild.toolchains.compiler.nvidia_compilers", self.get_stderr())
+        self.assertIsInstance(tc, NvidiaCompilers)
+
+        # load deprecated NVHPCToolchain, it corresponds to NvidiaCompilersToolchain
+        with self.temporarily_allow_deprecated_behaviour(), self.mocked_stdout_stderr():
+            tc = NVHPCToolchain(name='NVHPC', version='2024a')  # Might be used by pre-5.2.0 users
+            self.assertIn("NVHPCToolchain was replaced by NvidiaCompilersToolchain", self.get_stderr())
+        self.assertIsInstance(tc, NvidiaCompilersToolchain)
+
+        tc = Nvompi(version='2024a')  # Common usage
+        self.assertIsInstance(tc, NvidiaCompilers)
+        self.assertIsInstance(tc, NvidiaCompilersToolchain)
+        self.assertIsInstance(tc, NVHPCToolchain)
+        # compiler toolchain NVHPC is deprecated in 5.2.0, but might still be checked by existing code
+        self.assertIsInstance(tc, NVHPC)
+
 
 def suite(loader=None):
     """ return all the tests"""