diff --git a/src/main/java/org/json/JSONObject.java b/src/main/java/org/json/JSONObject.java
index d6f76a48a..c1d797699 100644
--- a/src/main/java/org/json/JSONObject.java
+++ b/src/main/java/org/json/JSONObject.java
@@ -177,10 +177,14 @@ public JSONObject() {
      * @param jo
      *            A JSONObject.
      * @param names
-     *            An array of strings.
+     *            An array of strings. A null array selects no keys and creates
+     *            an empty JSONObject.
      */
     public JSONObject(JSONObject jo, String ... names) {
-        this(names.length);
+        this(names == null ? 0 : names.length);
+        if (names == null) {
+            return;
+        }
         for (int i = 0; i < names.length; i += 1) {
             try {
                 this.putOnce(names[i], jo.opt(names[i]));
@@ -510,10 +514,14 @@ private JSONObject(Object bean, Set<Object> objectsRecord) {
      *            JSONObject.
      * @param names
      *            An array of strings, the names of the fields to be obtained
-     *            from the object.
+     *            from the object. A null array selects no fields and creates
+     *            an empty JSONObject.
      */
     public JSONObject(Object object, String ... names) {
-        this(names.length);
+        this(names == null ? 0 : names.length);
+        if (names == null) {
+            return;
+        }
         Class<?> c = object.getClass();
         for (int i = 0; i < names.length; i += 1) {
             String name = names[i];
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/json/junit/JSONObjectTest.java b/src/test/java/org/json/junit/JSONObjectTest.java
index ecc3204e7..f5433b0d3 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/json/junit/JSONObjectTest.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/json/junit/JSONObjectTest.java
@@ -285,6 +285,27 @@ public void jsonObjectByNames() {
 		Util.checkJSONObjectsMaps(new ArrayList<JSONObject>(Arrays.asList(jsonObject, jsonObjectByName)));
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	public void jsonObjectByNullNames() {
+		JSONObject source = new JSONObject().put("value", 1);
+		JSONObject subset = new JSONObject(source, (String[]) null);
+		assertTrue("null names should select no keys", subset.isEmpty());
+		assertEquals("source should be unchanged", 1, source.getInt("value"));
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void jsonObjectByObjectAndNullNames() {
+		JSONObject subset = new JSONObject(new MyPublicClass(), (String[]) null);
+		assertTrue("null names should select no fields", subset.isEmpty());
+	}
+
+	@Test
+	public void jsonObjectByNamesFromEmptyObject() {
+		JSONObject source = new JSONObject();
+		JSONObject subset = new JSONObject(source, JSONObject.getNames(source));
+		assertTrue("names from an empty object should select no keys", subset.isEmpty());
+	}
+
 	/**
 	 * JSONObjects can be built from a Map<String, Object>. In this test the map is
 	 * null. the JSONObject(JsonTokener) ctor is not tested directly since it