diff --git a/common/changes/office-ui-fabric-react/pivotitem-nativeprops-4349_2018-04-04-19-55.json b/common/changes/office-ui-fabric-react/pivotitem-nativeprops-4349_2018-04-04-19-55.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..89e6b541192440
--- /dev/null
+++ b/common/changes/office-ui-fabric-react/pivotitem-nativeprops-4349_2018-04-04-19-55.json
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+{
+  "changes": [
+    {
+      "packageName": "office-ui-fabric-react",
+      "comment": "Added headerButtonProps prop to PivotItem to allow passing native props (data-* & aria-*) to the header/link/CommandButton element. Also depricated linkText and added headerText for semantic purposes.",
+      "type": "minor"
+    }
+  ],
+  "packageName": "office-ui-fabric-react",
+  "email": "v-brgarl@microsoft.com"
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/Pivot/Pivot.tsx b/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/Pivot/Pivot.tsx
index e96dcae184dac6..fbca4a0a7030b5 100644
--- a/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/Pivot/Pivot.tsx
+++ b/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/Pivot/Pivot.tsx
@@ -117,7 +117,7 @@ export class Pivot extends BaseComponent<IPivotProps, IPivotState> {
   }
 
   private _renderPivotLink = (link: IPivotItemProps): JSX.Element => {
-    const { itemKey } = link;
+    const { itemKey, headerButtonProps } = link;
     const tabId = this._keyToTabIds[itemKey as string];
     const { onRenderItemLink } = link;
     let linkContent: JSX.Element | null;
@@ -130,6 +130,7 @@ export class Pivot extends BaseComponent<IPivotProps, IPivotState> {
 
     return (
       <CommandButton
+        { ...headerButtonProps }
         id={ tabId }
         key={ itemKey }
         className={ css(
@@ -144,7 +145,7 @@ export class Pivot extends BaseComponent<IPivotProps, IPivotState> {
         ariaLabel={ link.ariaLabel }
         role='tab'
         aria-selected={ this.state.selectedKey === itemKey }
-        name={ link.linkText }
+        name={ link.headerText }
       >
         { linkContent }
       </CommandButton>
@@ -152,7 +153,7 @@ export class Pivot extends BaseComponent<IPivotProps, IPivotState> {
   }
 
   private _renderLinkContent = (link: IPivotItemProps): JSX.Element => {
-    const { itemCount, itemIcon, linkText } = link;
+    const { itemCount, itemIcon, headerText } = link;
 
     return (
       <span className={ css('ms-Pivot-link-content') }>
@@ -161,7 +162,7 @@ export class Pivot extends BaseComponent<IPivotProps, IPivotState> {
             <Icon iconName={ itemIcon } />
           </span>
         ) }
-        { linkText !== undefined && <span className={ css('ms-Pivot-text', styles.text) }> { link.linkText }</span> }
+        { headerText !== undefined && <span className={ css('ms-Pivot-text', styles.text) }> { link.headerText }</span> }
         { itemCount !== undefined && <span className={ css('ms-Pivot-count', styles.count) } > ({ itemCount })</span> }
       </span>
     );
@@ -204,7 +205,8 @@ export class Pivot extends BaseComponent<IPivotProps, IPivotState> {
         const itemKey = pivotItem.props.itemKey || index.toString();
 
         links.push({
-          linkText: pivotItem.props.linkText,
+          headerText: pivotItem.props.headerText || pivotItem.props.linkText,
+          headerButtonProps: pivotItem.props.headerButtonProps,
           ariaLabel: pivotItem.props.ariaLabel,
           itemKey: itemKey,
           itemCount: pivotItem.props.itemCount,
diff --git a/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/Pivot/PivotItem.types.ts b/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/Pivot/PivotItem.types.ts
index 616ca5f694a8fc..8eabb6604e1708 100644
--- a/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/Pivot/PivotItem.types.ts
+++ b/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/Pivot/PivotItem.types.ts
@@ -8,10 +8,21 @@ export interface IPivotItemProps extends React.HTMLAttributes<HTMLDivElement> {
   componentRef?: () => void;
 
   /**
-   * The text displayed of each pivot link.
+   * The text displayed of each pivot link - renaming to 'headerText'.
+   * @deprecated
    */
   linkText?: string;
 
+  /**
+   * The text displayed of each pivot link.
+   */
+  headerText?: string;
+
+  /**
+   * Props for the header command button supporting native props - data-* and aria-* - for each pivot header/link element
+   */
+  headerButtonProps?: { [key: string]: string | number | boolean };
+
   /**
    * An required key to uniquely identify a pivot item.
    *
diff --git a/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/Pivot/examples/Pivot.Basic.Example.tsx b/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/Pivot/examples/Pivot.Basic.Example.tsx
index 4b1efa1d9964aa..d00b6e53b6a0b8 100644
--- a/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/Pivot/examples/Pivot.Basic.Example.tsx
+++ b/packages/office-ui-fabric-react/src/components/Pivot/examples/Pivot.Basic.Example.tsx
@@ -9,7 +9,14 @@ export class PivotBasicExample extends React.Component<any, any> {
     return (
       <div>
         <Pivot>
-          <PivotItem linkText='My Files'>
+          <PivotItem
+            headerText='My Files'
+            linkText='I am deprecated. "headerText" overwrites me'
+            headerButtonProps={ {
+              'data-order': 1,
+              'data-title': 'My Files Title'
+            } }
+          >
             <Label className={ exampleStyles.exampleLabel }>Pivot #1</Label>
           </PivotItem>
           <PivotItem linkText='Recent'>