diff --git a/pkg/internal/sqlsmith/schema.go b/pkg/internal/sqlsmith/schema.go
index 3dc20f9a3f7c..c6c48d5b4286 100644
--- a/pkg/internal/sqlsmith/schema.go
+++ b/pkg/internal/sqlsmith/schema.go
@@ -314,7 +314,7 @@ ORDER BY
 			currentCols = nil
 		}
 
-		coltyp, err := s.typeFromName(typ)
+		coltyp, err := s.typeFromSQLTypeSyntax(typ)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/internal/sqlsmith/type.go b/pkg/internal/sqlsmith/type.go
index 768d7f52d5aa..04f3ea53d3d7 100644
--- a/pkg/internal/sqlsmith/type.go
+++ b/pkg/internal/sqlsmith/type.go
@@ -21,10 +21,10 @@ import (
 	"github.com/lib/pq/oid"
 )
 
-func (s *Smither) typeFromName(name string) (*types.T, error) {
-	typRef, err := parser.ParseType(name)
+func (s *Smither) typeFromSQLTypeSyntax(typeStr string) (*types.T, error) {
+	typRef, err := parser.GetTypeFromValidSQLSyntax(typeStr)
 	if err != nil {
-		return nil, errors.AssertionFailedf("failed to parse type: %v", name)
+		return nil, errors.AssertionFailedf("failed to parse type: %v", typeStr)
 	}
 	typ, err := tree.ResolveType(context.Background(), typRef, s)
 	if err != nil {
diff --git a/pkg/sql/faketreeeval/evalctx.go b/pkg/sql/faketreeeval/evalctx.go
index a04edec6158a..be9aa5d27eed 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/faketreeeval/evalctx.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/faketreeeval/evalctx.go
@@ -137,8 +137,8 @@ func (ep *DummyEvalPlanner) ResolveTableName(
 	return 0, errors.WithStack(errEvalPlanner)
 }
 
-// ParseType is part of the tree.EvalPlanner interface.
-func (ep *DummyEvalPlanner) ParseType(sql string) (*types.T, error) {
+// GetTypeFromValidSQLSyntax is part of the tree.EvalPlanner interface.
+func (ep *DummyEvalPlanner) GetTypeFromValidSQLSyntax(sql string) (*types.T, error) {
 	return nil, errors.WithStack(errEvalPlanner)
 }
 
diff --git a/pkg/sql/opt/optgen/exprgen/parse_type.go b/pkg/sql/opt/optgen/exprgen/parse_type.go
index a4933e246002..e829e930c0da 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/opt/optgen/exprgen/parse_type.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/opt/optgen/exprgen/parse_type.go
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ func ParseType(typeStr string) (*types.T, error) {
 		}
 		return types.MakeTuple(colTypes), nil
 	}
-	typ, err := parser.ParseType(typeStr)
+	typ, err := parser.GetTypeFromValidSQLSyntax(typeStr)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/sql/opt/testutils/testcat/test_catalog.go b/pkg/sql/opt/testutils/testcat/test_catalog.go
index 470c323052fb..3dea93e3d1bc 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/opt/testutils/testcat/test_catalog.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/opt/testutils/testcat/test_catalog.go
@@ -1022,7 +1022,7 @@ func (ts *TableStat) Histogram() []cat.HistogramBucket {
 	if ts.js.HistogramColumnType == "" || ts.js.HistogramBuckets == nil {
 		return nil
 	}
-	colTypeRef, err := parser.ParseType(ts.js.HistogramColumnType)
+	colTypeRef, err := parser.GetTypeFromValidSQLSyntax(ts.js.HistogramColumnType)
 	if err != nil {
 		panic(err)
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/sql/parser/parse.go b/pkg/sql/parser/parse.go
index c889ccf4b83f..33372f4b5b85 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/parser/parse.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/parser/parse.go
@@ -274,8 +274,13 @@ func HasMultipleStatements(sql string) bool {
 	return false
 }
 
-// ParseQualifiedTableName parses a SQL string of the form
-// `[ database_name . ] [ schema_name . ] table_name`.
+// ParseQualifiedTableName parses a possibly qualified table name. The
+// table name must contain one or more name parts, using the full
+// input SQL syntax: each name part containing special characters, or
+// non-lowercase characters, must be enclosed in double quote. The
+// name may not be an invalid table name (the caller is responsible
+// for guaranteeing that only valid table names are provided as
+// input).
 func ParseQualifiedTableName(sql string) (*tree.TableName, error) {
 	name, err := ParseTableName(sql)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -285,7 +290,12 @@ func ParseQualifiedTableName(sql string) (*tree.TableName, error) {
 	return &tn, nil
 }
 
-// ParseTableName parses a table name.
+// ParseTableName parses a table name. The table name must contain one
+// or more name parts, using the full input SQL syntax: each name
+// part containing special characters, or non-lowercase characters,
+// must be enclosed in double quote. The name may not be an invalid
+// table name (the caller is responsible for guaranteeing that only
+// valid table names are provided as input).
 func ParseTableName(sql string) (*tree.UnresolvedObjectName, error) {
 	// We wrap the name we want to parse into a dummy statement since our parser
 	// can only parse full statements.
@@ -300,30 +310,6 @@ func ParseTableName(sql string) (*tree.UnresolvedObjectName, error) {
 	return rename.Name, nil
 }
 
-// ParseTableNameWithQualifiedNames can be used to parse an input table name that
-// might be prefixed with an unquoted qualified name. The standard ParseTableName
-// cannot do this due to limitations with our parser. In particular, the parser
-// can't parse different productions individually -- it must parse them as part
-// of a top level statement. This causes qualified names that contain keywords
-// to require quotes, which are not required in some cases due to Postgres
-// compatibility (in particular, as arguments to pg_dump). This function gets
-// around this limitation by parsing the input table name as a column name
-// with a fake non-keyword prefix, and then shifting the result down into an
-// UnresolvedObjectName.
-func ParseTableNameWithQualifiedNames(sql string) (*tree.UnresolvedObjectName, error) {
-	stmt, err := ParseOne(fmt.Sprintf("SELECT fakeprefix.%s", sql))
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, err
-	}
-	un := stmt.AST.(*tree.Select).Select.(*tree.SelectClause).Exprs[0].Expr.(*tree.UnresolvedName)
-	var nameParts [3]string
-	numParts := un.NumParts - 1
-	for i := 0; i < numParts; i++ {
-		nameParts[i] = un.Parts[i]
-	}
-	return tree.NewUnresolvedObjectName(numParts, nameParts, 0 /* annotationIdx */)
-}
-
 // parseExprsWithInt parses one or more sql expressions.
 func parseExprsWithInt(exprs []string, nakedIntType *types.T) (tree.Exprs, error) {
 	stmt, err := ParseOneWithInt(fmt.Sprintf("SET ROW (%s)", strings.Join(exprs, ",")), nakedIntType)
@@ -337,7 +323,11 @@ func parseExprsWithInt(exprs []string, nakedIntType *types.T) (tree.Exprs, error
 	return set.Values, nil
 }
 
-// ParseExprs is a short-hand for parseExprsWithInt(sql, defaultNakedIntType).
+// ParseExprs parses a comma-delimited sequence of SQL scalar
+// expressions. The caller is responsible for ensuring that the input
+// is, in fact, a comma-delimited sequence of SQL scalar expressions —
+// the results are undefined if the string contains invalid SQL
+// syntax.
 func ParseExprs(sql []string) (tree.Exprs, error) {
 	if len(sql) == 0 {
 		return tree.Exprs{}, nil
@@ -345,14 +335,19 @@ func ParseExprs(sql []string) (tree.Exprs, error) {
 	return parseExprsWithInt(sql, defaultNakedIntType)
 }
 
-// ParseExpr is a short-hand for parseExprsWithInt([]string{sql},
-// defaultNakedIntType).
+// ParseExpr parses a SQL scalar expression. The caller is responsible
+// for ensuring that the input is, in fact, a valid SQL scalar
+// expression — the results are undefined if the string contains
+// invalid SQL syntax.
 func ParseExpr(sql string) (tree.Expr, error) {
 	return ParseExprWithInt(sql, defaultNakedIntType)
 }
 
-// ParseExprWithInt is a short-hand for parseExprsWithInt([]string{sql},
-// nakedIntType).'
+// ParseExprWithInt parses a SQL scalar expression, using the given
+// type when INT is used as type name in the SQL syntax. The caller is
+// responsible for ensuring that the input is, in fact, a valid SQL
+// scalar expression — the results are undefined if the string
+// contains invalid SQL syntax.
 func ParseExprWithInt(sql string, nakedIntType *types.T) (tree.Expr, error) {
 	exprs, err := parseExprsWithInt([]string{sql}, nakedIntType)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -364,8 +359,29 @@ func ParseExprWithInt(sql string, nakedIntType *types.T) (tree.Expr, error) {
 	return exprs[0], nil
 }
 
-// ParseType parses a column type.
-func ParseType(sql string) (tree.ResolvableTypeReference, error) {
+// GetTypeReferenceFromName turns a type name into a type
+// reference. This supports only “simple” (single-identifier)
+// references to built-in types, when the identifer has already been
+// parsed away from the input SQL syntax.
+func GetTypeReferenceFromName(typeName tree.Name) (tree.ResolvableTypeReference, error) {
+	expr, err := ParseExpr(fmt.Sprintf("1::%s", typeName.String()))
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+
+	cast, ok := expr.(*tree.CastExpr)
+	if !ok {
+		return nil, errors.AssertionFailedf("expected a tree.CastExpr, but found %T", expr)
+	}
+
+	return cast.Type, nil
+}
+
+// GetTypeFromValidSQLSyntax retrieves a type from its SQL syntax. The caller is
+// responsible for guaranteeing that the type expression is valid
+// SQL. This includes verifying that complex identifiers are enclosed
+// in double quotes, etc.
+func GetTypeFromValidSQLSyntax(sql string) (tree.ResolvableTypeReference, error) {
 	expr, err := ParseExpr(fmt.Sprintf("1::%s", sql))
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
diff --git a/pkg/sql/parser/parse_test.go b/pkg/sql/parser/parse_test.go
index c8e8505ac926..d0499b1b4375 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/parser/parse_test.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/parser/parse_test.go
@@ -28,7 +28,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/datadriven"
 	"github.com/cockroachdb/errors"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
-	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 )
 
 // TestParse verifies that we can parse the supplied SQL and regenerate the SQL
@@ -2873,23 +2872,6 @@ func TestParseDatadriven(t *testing.T) {
 	})
 }
 
-func TestParseTableNameWithQualifiedNames(t *testing.T) {
-	testdata := []struct {
-		name     string
-		expected string
-	}{
-		{"unique", `"unique"`},
-		{"unique.index", `"unique".index`},
-		{"table.index.primary", `"table".index.primary`},
-	}
-
-	for _, tc := range testdata {
-		name, err := parser.ParseTableNameWithQualifiedNames(tc.name)
-		require.NoError(t, err)
-		require.Equal(t, tc.expected, name.String())
-	}
-}
-
 func TestParsePanic(t *testing.T) {
 	// Replicates #1801.
 	defer func() {
diff --git a/pkg/sql/planner.go b/pkg/sql/planner.go
index cfde05b72782..e2e6431d18a7 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/planner.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/planner.go
@@ -466,10 +466,10 @@ func (p *planner) DistSQLPlanner() *DistSQLPlanner {
 	return p.extendedEvalCtx.DistSQLPlanner
 }
 
-// ParseType implements the tree.EvalPlanner interface.
+// GetTypeFromValidSQLSyntax implements the tree.EvalPlanner interface.
 // We define this here to break the dependency from eval.go to the parser.
-func (p *planner) ParseType(sql string) (*types.T, error) {
-	ref, err := parser.ParseType(sql)
+func (p *planner) GetTypeFromValidSQLSyntax(sql string) (*types.T, error) {
+	ref, err := parser.GetTypeFromValidSQLSyntax(sql)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/sql/schemachange/alter_column_type_test.go b/pkg/sql/schemachange/alter_column_type_test.go
index 33bd41bf4d96..7ce6e032d493 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/schemachange/alter_column_type_test.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/schemachange/alter_column_type_test.go
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ func TestColumnConversions(t *testing.T) {
 	defer leaktest.AfterTest(t)()
 
 	columnType := func(typStr string) *types.T {
-		t, err := parser.ParseType(typStr)
+		t, err := parser.GetTypeFromValidSQLSyntax(typStr)
 		if err != nil {
 			panic(err)
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/sql/sem/tree/datum.go b/pkg/sql/sem/tree/datum.go
index ef2e7aa882bd..050dbf2b0727 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/sem/tree/datum.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/sem/tree/datum.go
@@ -4258,7 +4258,7 @@ func ParseDOid(ctx *EvalContext, s string, t *types.T) (*DOid, error) {
 		}
 		return queryOid(ctx, t, NewDString(funcDef.Name))
 	case oid.T_regtype:
-		parsedTyp, err := ctx.Planner.ParseType(s)
+		parsedTyp, err := ctx.Planner.GetTypeFromValidSQLSyntax(s)
 		if err == nil {
 			return &DOid{
 				semanticType: t,
diff --git a/pkg/sql/sem/tree/eval.go b/pkg/sql/sem/tree/eval.go
index 349a9a3839aa..8bee8f729b37 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/sem/tree/eval.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/sem/tree/eval.go
@@ -3026,8 +3026,11 @@ type EvalDatabase interface {
 type EvalPlanner interface {
 	EvalDatabase
 	TypeReferenceResolver
-	// ParseType parses a column type.
-	ParseType(sql string) (*types.T, error)
+
+	// GetTypeFromValidSQLSyntax parses a column type when the input
+	// string uses the parseable SQL representation of a type name, e.g.
+	// "INT(13)" or "pg_catalog.int".
+	GetTypeFromValidSQLSyntax(sql string) (*types.T, error)
 
 	// EvalSubquery returns the Datum for the given subquery node.
 	EvalSubquery(expr *Subquery) (Datum, error)
diff --git a/pkg/sql/stats/json.go b/pkg/sql/stats/json.go
index 6b06f0ba3b6e..12b7e30a956e 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/stats/json.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/stats/json.go
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ type JSONStatistic struct {
 	NullCount     uint64   `json:"null_count"`
 	// HistogramColumnType is the string representation of the column type for the
 	// histogram (or unset if there is no histogram). Parsable with
-	// tree.ParseType.
+	// tree.GetTypeFromValidSQLSyntax.
 	HistogramColumnType string            `json:"histo_col_type"`
 	HistogramBuckets    []JSONHistoBucket `json:"histo_buckets,omitempty"`
 }
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ func (js *JSONStatistic) GetHistogram(
 		return nil, nil
 	}
 	h := &HistogramData{}
-	colTypeRef, err := parser.ParseType(js.HistogramColumnType)
+	colTypeRef, err := parser.GetTypeFromValidSQLSyntax(js.HistogramColumnType)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
 	}
diff --git a/pkg/sql/virtual_schema.go b/pkg/sql/virtual_schema.go
index 0e7382ee3d6f..7480a1240fed 100644
--- a/pkg/sql/virtual_schema.go
+++ b/pkg/sql/virtual_schema.go
@@ -351,7 +351,7 @@ func (v *virtualSchemaEntry) GetObjectByName(
 		// invalid input type like "notatype" will be parsed successfully as
 		// a ResolvableTypeReference, so the error here does not need to be
 		// intercepted and inspected.
-		typRef, err := parser.ParseType(name)
+		typRef, err := parser.GetTypeReferenceFromName(tree.Name(name))
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, err
 		}