diff --git a/R/writeData.R b/R/writeData.R
index fef00f78..9ca2593d 100644
--- a/R/writeData.R
+++ b/R/writeData.R
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 #' \code{c(startCol, startRow)}.
 #' @param colNames If \code{TRUE}, column names of x are written.
 #' @param rowNames If \code{TRUE}, data.frame row names of x are written.
-#' @param row.names Deprecated, please use \code{rowNames} instead
+#' @param row.names,col.names Deprecated, please use \code{rowNames}, \code{colNames} instead
 #' @param headerStyle Custom style to apply to column names.
 #' @param borders Either "\code{none}" (default), "\code{surrounding}",
 #' "\code{columns}", "\code{rows}" or \emph{respective abbreviations}.  If
@@ -175,6 +175,7 @@ writeData <- function(
   na.string    = openxlsx_getOp("na.string"),
   name         = NULL,
   sep          = ", ",
+  col.names,
   row.names
 ) {
 
@@ -186,6 +187,11 @@ writeData <- function(
     rowNames <- row.names
   }
   
+  if (!missing(col.names)) {
+    warning("Please use 'colNames' instead of 'col.names'", call. = FALSE)
+    colNames <- col.names
+  }
+  
   # Set NULLs
   borders      <- borders      %||% "none"
   borderColour <- borderColour %||% "black"
diff --git a/R/writeDataTable.R b/R/writeDataTable.R
index 0c54a5df..011759e7 100644
--- a/R/writeDataTable.R
+++ b/R/writeDataTable.R
@@ -12,7 +12,7 @@
 #' A vector of the form c(startCol, startRow)
 #' @param colNames If \code{TRUE}, column names of x are written.
 #' @param rowNames If \code{TRUE}, row names of x are written.
-#' @param row.names Deprecated, please use \code{rowNames} instead
+#' @param row.names,col.names Deprecated, please use \code{rowNames}, \code{colNames} instead
 #' @param tableStyle Any excel table style name or "none" (see "formatting" vignette).
 #' @param tableName name of table in workbook. The table name must be unique.
 #' @param headerStyle Custom style to apply to column names.
@@ -157,6 +157,7 @@ writeDataTable <- function(
   lastColumn  = openxlsx_getOp("lastColumn", FALSE),
   bandedRows  = openxlsx_getOp("bandedRows", TRUE),
   bandedCols  = openxlsx_getOp("bandedCols", FALSE),
+  col.names,
   row.names
   ) {
   op <- get_set_options()
@@ -169,6 +170,11 @@ writeDataTable <- function(
     row.names <- rowNames
   }
   
+  if (!missing(col.names)) {
+    warning("Please use 'colNames' instead of 'col.names'", call. = FALSE)
+    colNames <- col.names
+  }
+  
   # Set NULLs
   withFilter  <- withFilter  %||% TRUE
   keepNA      <- keepNA      %||% FALSE
diff --git a/man/writeData.Rd b/man/writeData.Rd
index 49018d63..43247095 100644
--- a/man/writeData.Rd
+++ b/man/writeData.Rd
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ writeData(
   na.string = openxlsx_getOp("na.string"),
   name = NULL,
   sep = ", ",
+  col.names,
   row.names
 )
 }
@@ -86,7 +87,7 @@ each column. If "\code{all}" all cell borders are drawn.}
 
 \item{sep}{Only applies to list columns. The separator used to collapse list columns to a character vector e.g. sapply(x$list_column, paste, collapse = sep).}
 
-\item{row.names}{Deprecated, please use \code{rowNames} instead}
+\item{row.names, col.names}{Deprecated, please use \code{rowNames}, \code{colNames} instead}
 }
 \value{
 invisible(0)
diff --git a/man/writeDataTable.Rd b/man/writeDataTable.Rd
index de55ee08..b7bdeaba 100644
--- a/man/writeDataTable.Rd
+++ b/man/writeDataTable.Rd
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ writeDataTable(
   lastColumn = openxlsx_getOp("lastColumn", FALSE),
   bandedRows = openxlsx_getOp("bandedRows", TRUE),
   bandedCols = openxlsx_getOp("bandedCols", FALSE),
+  col.names,
   row.names
 )
 }
@@ -77,7 +78,7 @@ existing style is replaced by the new style.
 
 \item{bandedCols}{logical. If TRUE, the columns are colour banded}
 
-\item{row.names}{Deprecated, please use \code{rowNames} instead}
+\item{row.names, col.names}{Deprecated, please use \code{rowNames}, \code{colNames} instead}
 }
 \description{
 Write to a worksheet and format as an Excel table
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-build_workbook.R b/tests/testthat/test-build_workbook.R
index 4d144bad..aee84e21 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-build_workbook.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-build_workbook.R
@@ -16,3 +16,27 @@ test_that("buildWorkbook() accepts tableName [187]", {
   # try to define 1/2 table names
   expect_error(buildWorkbook(list(x, x), asTable = TRUE, tableName = "table_x"))
 })
+
+test_that("row.name and col.name are deprecated", {
+  x <- data.frame(a = 1)
+  
+  expect_warning(
+    buildWorkbook(x, file = temp_xlsx(), row.names = TRUE, overwrite = TRUE),
+    "Please use 'rowNames' instead of 'row.names'"
+  )
+  
+  expect_warning(
+    buildWorkbook(x, file = temp_xlsx(), row.names = TRUE, overwrite = TRUE, asTable = TRUE),
+    "Please use 'rowNames' instead of 'row.names'"
+  )
+  
+  expect_warning(
+    buildWorkbook(x, file = temp_xlsx(), col.names = TRUE, overwrite = TRUE),
+    "Please use 'colNames' instead of 'col.names'"
+  )
+  
+  expect_warning(
+    buildWorkbook(x, file = temp_xlsx(), col.names = TRUE, overwrite = TRUE, asTable = TRUE),
+    "Please use 'colNames' instead of 'col.names'"
+  )
+})
diff --git a/tests/testthat/test-write_read_equality.R b/tests/testthat/test-write_read_equality.R
index f686ff93..136c4cc9 100644
--- a/tests/testthat/test-write_read_equality.R
+++ b/tests/testthat/test-write_read_equality.R
@@ -119,11 +119,6 @@ test_that("Writing then reading rowNames, colNames combinations", {
   curr_wd <- getwd()
   mt <- utils::head(mtcars) # don't need the whole thing
 
-  expect_warning(
-    write.xlsx(mt, file = temp_xlsx(), row.names = TRUE, overwrite = TRUE),
-    "Please use 'rowNames' instead of 'row.names'"
-  )
-  
   # write the row and column names for testing
   write.xlsx(mt, file = fileName, overwrite = TRUE, rowNames = TRUE, colNames = TRUE)