diff --git a/doc/languages-frameworks/python.md b/doc/languages-frameworks/python.md
index c8add96a1482..c100c9d0c20a 100644
--- a/doc/languages-frameworks/python.md
+++ b/doc/languages-frameworks/python.md
@@ -547,7 +547,7 @@ All parameters from `mkDerivation` function are still supported.
 
 ##### Overriding Python packages
 
-The `buildPythonPackage` function has a `overridePythonPackage` method that
+The `buildPythonPackage` function has a `overridePythonAttrs` method that
 can be used to override the package. In the following example we create an
 environment where we have the `blaze` package using an older version of `pandas`.
 We override first the Python interpreter and pass
@@ -559,7 +559,7 @@ with import <nixpkgs> {};
 (let
   python = let
     packageOverrides = self: super: {
-      pandas = super.pandas.overridePythonPackage(old: rec {
+      pandas = super.pandas.overridePythonAttrs(old: rec {
         version = "0.19.1";
         name = "pandas-${version}";
         src =  super.fetchPypi {
@@ -786,7 +786,7 @@ with import <nixpkgs> {};
 (let
   python = let
     packageOverrides = self: super: {
-      pandas = super.pandas.overridePythonPackage(old: {name="foo";});
+      pandas = super.pandas.overridePythonAttrs(old: {name="foo";});
     };
   in pkgs.python35.override {inherit packageOverrides;};
 
diff --git a/pkgs/top-level/python-packages.nix b/pkgs/top-level/python-packages.nix
index 835118b0f20d..2884f39bc87f 100644
--- a/pkgs/top-level/python-packages.nix
+++ b/pkgs/top-level/python-packages.nix
@@ -37,17 +37,17 @@ let
   });
 
   # Derivations built with `buildPythonPackage` can already be overriden with `override`, `overrideAttrs`, and `overrideDerivation`.
-  # This function introduces `overridePythonPackage` and it overrides the call to `buildPythonPackage`.
+  # This function introduces `overridePythonAttrs` and it overrides the call to `buildPythonPackage`.
   makeOverridablePythonPackage = f: origArgs:
     let
       ff = f origArgs;
       overrideWith = newArgs: origArgs // (if builtins.isFunction newArgs then newArgs origArgs else newArgs);
     in
       if builtins.isAttrs ff then (ff // {
-        overridePythonPackage = newArgs: makeOverridable f (overrideWith newArgs);
+        overridePythonAttrs = newArgs: makeOverridable f (overrideWith newArgs);
       })
       else if builtins.isFunction ff then {
-        overridePythonPackage = newArgs: makeOverridable f (overrideWith newArgs);
+        overridePythonAttrs = newArgs: makeOverridable f (overrideWith newArgs);
         __functor = self: ff;
       }
       else ff;
@@ -22204,7 +22204,7 @@ in {
 
   sphinx = callPackage ../development/python-modules/sphinx { };
 
-  sphinx_1_2 = self.sphinx.overridePythonPackage rec {
+  sphinx_1_2 = self.sphinx.overridePythonAttrs rec {
     name = "sphinx-1.2.3";
     src = pkgs.fetchurl {
       url = "mirror://pypi/s/sphinx/sphinx-1.2.3.tar.gz";