diff --git a/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_cryptodev.c b/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_cryptodev.c
index d9648a2..6f4d1c4 100644
--- a/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_cryptodev.c
+++ b/lib/librte_cryptodev/rte_cryptodev.c
@@ -276,23 +276,6 @@ rte_cryptodev_pmd_allocate(const char *name, int socket_id)
 	return cryptodev;
 }
 
-static inline int
-rte_cryptodev_create_unique_device_name(char *name, size_t size,
-		struct rte_pci_device *pci_dev)
-{
-	int ret;
-
-	if ((name == NULL) || (pci_dev == NULL))
-		return -EINVAL;
-
-	ret = snprintf(name, size, "%d:%d.%d",
-			pci_dev->addr.bus, pci_dev->addr.devid,
-			pci_dev->addr.function);
-	if (ret < 0)
-		return ret;
-	return 0;
-}
-
 int
 rte_cryptodev_pmd_release_device(struct rte_cryptodev *cryptodev)
 {
@@ -355,9 +338,8 @@ rte_cryptodev_pci_probe(struct rte_pci_driver *pci_drv,
 	if (cryptodrv == NULL)
 		return -ENODEV;
 
-	/* Create unique Crypto device name using PCI address */
-	rte_cryptodev_create_unique_device_name(cryptodev_name,
-			sizeof(cryptodev_name), pci_dev);
+	rte_eal_pci_device_name(&pci_dev->addr, cryptodev_name,
+			sizeof(cryptodev_name));
 
 	cryptodev = rte_cryptodev_pmd_allocate(cryptodev_name, rte_socket_id());
 	if (cryptodev == NULL)
@@ -412,9 +394,8 @@ rte_cryptodev_pci_remove(struct rte_pci_device *pci_dev)
 	if (pci_dev == NULL)
 		return -EINVAL;
 
-	/* Create unique device name using PCI address */
-	rte_cryptodev_create_unique_device_name(cryptodev_name,
-			sizeof(cryptodev_name), pci_dev);
+	rte_eal_pci_device_name(&pci_dev->addr, cryptodev_name,
+			sizeof(cryptodev_name));
 
 	cryptodev = rte_cryptodev_pmd_get_named_dev(cryptodev_name);
 	if (cryptodev == NULL)
diff --git a/lib/librte_eal/common/include/rte_pci.h b/lib/librte_eal/common/include/rte_pci.h
index f99b33a..3bb1833 100644
--- a/lib/librte_eal/common/include/rte_pci.h
+++ b/lib/librte_eal/common/include/rte_pci.h
@@ -82,6 +82,7 @@ extern "C" {
 #include <stdint.h>
 #include <inttypes.h>
 
+#include <rte_debug.h>
 #include <rte_interrupts.h>
 
 TAILQ_HEAD(pci_device_list, rte_pci_device); /**< PCI devices in D-linked Q. */
@@ -95,6 +96,7 @@ extern struct pci_device_list pci_device_list; /**< Global list of PCI devices.
 
 /** Formatting string for PCI device identifier: Ex: 0000:00:01.0 */
 #define PCI_PRI_FMT "%.4" PRIx16 ":%.2" PRIx8 ":%.2" PRIx8 ".%" PRIx8
+#define PCI_PRI_STR_SIZE sizeof("XXXX:XX:XX.X")
 
 /** Short formatting string, without domain, for PCI device: Ex: 00:01.0 */
 #define PCI_SHORT_PRI_FMT "%.2" PRIx8 ":%.2" PRIx8 ".%" PRIx8
@@ -309,6 +311,29 @@ eal_parse_pci_DomBDF(const char *input, struct rte_pci_addr *dev_addr)
 }
 #undef GET_PCIADDR_FIELD
 
+/**
+ * Utility function to write a pci device name, this device name can later be
+ * used to retrieve the corresponding rte_pci_addr using above functions.
+ *
+ * @param addr
+ *	The PCI Bus-Device-Function address
+ * @param output
+ *	The output buffer string
+ * @param size
+ *	The output buffer size
+ * @return
+ *  0 on success, negative on error.
+ */
+static inline void
+rte_eal_pci_device_name(const struct rte_pci_addr *addr,
+		    char *output, size_t size)
+{
+	RTE_VERIFY(size >= PCI_PRI_STR_SIZE);
+	RTE_VERIFY(snprintf(output, size, PCI_PRI_FMT,
+			    addr->domain, addr->bus,
+			    addr->devid, addr->function) >= 0);
+}
+
 /* Compare two PCI device addresses. */
 /**
  * Utility function to compare two PCI device addresses.
diff --git a/lib/librte_ether/rte_ethdev.c b/lib/librte_ether/rte_ethdev.c
index 7ec8cdb..9d5827b 100644
--- a/lib/librte_ether/rte_ethdev.c
+++ b/lib/librte_ether/rte_ethdev.c
@@ -214,20 +214,6 @@ rte_eth_dev_allocate(const char *name, enum rte_eth_dev_type type)
 	return eth_dev;
 }
 
-static int
-rte_eth_dev_create_unique_device_name(char *name, size_t size,
-		struct rte_pci_device *pci_dev)
-{
-	int ret;
-
-	ret = snprintf(name, size, "%d:%d.%d",
-			pci_dev->addr.bus, pci_dev->addr.devid,
-			pci_dev->addr.function);
-	if (ret < 0)
-		return ret;
-	return 0;
-}
-
 int
 rte_eth_dev_release_port(struct rte_eth_dev *eth_dev)
 {
@@ -251,9 +237,8 @@ rte_eth_dev_pci_probe(struct rte_pci_driver *pci_drv,
 
 	eth_drv = (struct eth_driver *)pci_drv;
 
-	/* Create unique Ethernet device name using PCI address */
-	rte_eth_dev_create_unique_device_name(ethdev_name,
-			sizeof(ethdev_name), pci_dev);
+	rte_eal_pci_device_name(&pci_dev->addr, ethdev_name,
+			sizeof(ethdev_name));
 
 	eth_dev = rte_eth_dev_allocate(ethdev_name, RTE_ETH_DEV_PCI);
 	if (eth_dev == NULL)
@@ -304,9 +289,8 @@ rte_eth_dev_pci_remove(struct rte_pci_device *pci_dev)
 	if (pci_dev == NULL)
 		return -EINVAL;
 
-	/* Create unique Ethernet device name using PCI address */
-	rte_eth_dev_create_unique_device_name(ethdev_name,
-			sizeof(ethdev_name), pci_dev);
+	rte_eal_pci_device_name(&pci_dev->addr, ethdev_name,
+			sizeof(ethdev_name));
 
 	eth_dev = rte_eth_dev_allocated(ethdev_name);
 	if (eth_dev == NULL)
