diff --git a/compiler/kernel/op.go b/compiler/kernel/op.go
index ba81ef9969..3e9a613e8e 100644
--- a/compiler/kernel/op.go
+++ b/compiler/kernel/op.go
@@ -174,10 +174,18 @@ func (b *Builder) compileLeaf(o dag.Op, parent zbuf.Puller) (zbuf.Puller, error)
 		putter := expr.NewPutter(b.octx.Zctx, clauses)
 		return op.NewApplier(b.octx, parent, putter), nil
 	case *dag.Rename:
-		var srcs, dsts field.List
+		var srcs, dsts []*expr.Lval
 		for _, a := range v.Args {
-			dsts = append(dsts, a.LHS.(*dag.This).Path)
-			srcs = append(srcs, a.RHS.(*dag.This).Path)
+			src, err := b.compileLval(a.RHS)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			dst, err := b.compileLval(a.LHS)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, err
+			}
+			srcs = append(srcs, src)
+			dsts = append(dsts, dst)
 		}
 		renamer := expr.NewRenamer(b.octx.Zctx, srcs, dsts)
 		return op.NewApplier(b.octx, parent, renamer), nil
diff --git a/compiler/semantic/op.go b/compiler/semantic/op.go
index cc20581d92..aa9d6a1bba 100644
--- a/compiler/semantic/op.go
+++ b/compiler/semantic/op.go
@@ -640,25 +640,23 @@ func (a *analyzer) semOp(o ast.Op, seq dag.Seq) (dag.Seq, error) {
 	case *ast.Rename:
 		var assignments []dag.Assignment
 		for _, fa := range o.Args {
-			dst, err := a.semField(fa.LHS)
+			assign, err := a.semAssignment(fa)
 			if err != nil {
-				return nil, errors.New("rename: requires explicit field references")
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("rename: %w", err)
 			}
-			src, err := a.semField(fa.RHS)
-			if err != nil {
-				return nil, errors.New("rename: requires explicit field references")
-			}
-			if len(dst.Path) != len(src.Path) {
-				return nil, fmt.Errorf("rename: cannot rename %s to %s", src, dst)
+			if !isLval(assign.RHS) {
+				return nil, fmt.Errorf("rename: illegal right-hand side of assignment")
 			}
-			// Check that the prefixes match and, if not, report first place
-			// that they don't.
-			for i := 0; i <= len(src.Path)-2; i++ {
-				if src.Path[i] != dst.Path[i] {
-					return nil, fmt.Errorf("rename: cannot rename %s to %s (differ in %s vs %s)", src, dst, src.Path[i], dst.Path[i])
+			// If both paths are static validate them. Otherwise this will be
+			// done at runtime.
+			lhs, lhsOk := assign.LHS.(*dag.This)
+			rhs, rhsOk := assign.RHS.(*dag.This)
+			if rhsOk && lhsOk {
+				if err := expr.CheckRenameField(lhs.Path, rhs.Path); err != nil {
+					return nil, fmt.Errorf("rename: %w", err)
 				}
 			}
-			assignments = append(assignments, dag.Assignment{Kind: "Assignment", LHS: dst, RHS: src})
+			assignments = append(assignments, assign)
 		}
 		return append(seq, &dag.Rename{
 			Kind: "Rename",
diff --git a/docs/language/operators/rename.md b/docs/language/operators/rename.md
index 70be76e194..9003dd12d7 100644
--- a/docs/language/operators/rename.md
+++ b/docs/language/operators/rename.md
@@ -49,7 +49,7 @@ echo '{a:1,r:{b:2,c:3}}' | zq -z 'rename w:=r.b' -
 ```
 =>
 ```mdtest-output
-rename: cannot rename r.b to w
+rename: left-hand side and right-hand side must have the same depth (r.b vs w)
 ```
 _Record literals can be used instead of rename for mutation_
 ```mdtest-command
diff --git a/docs/tutorials/schools.md b/docs/tutorials/schools.md
index 790e3edde8..68debefa3b 100644
--- a/docs/tutorials/schools.md
+++ b/docs/tutorials/schools.md
@@ -843,7 +843,7 @@ zq -Z 'rename toplevel:=outer.inner' nested.zson
 ```
 produces this compile-time error message and the query is not run:
 ```mdtest-output
-rename: cannot rename outer.inner to toplevel
+rename: left-hand side and right-hand side must have the same depth (outer.inner vs toplevel)
 ```
 This goal could instead be achieved by combining [`put`](#44-put) and [`drop`](#42-drop),
 e.g.,
diff --git a/pkg/field/field.go b/pkg/field/field.go
index 2a6a2e567f..6a2e158fa0 100644
--- a/pkg/field/field.go
+++ b/pkg/field/field.go
@@ -8,11 +8,20 @@ import (
 
 type Path []string
 
-func (p Path) String() string {
+func (p Path) String() string { return string(p.AppendTo(nil)) }
+
+// AppendTo appends the string representation of the path to byte slice b.
+func (p Path) AppendTo(b []byte) []byte {
 	if len(p) == 0 {
-		return "this"
+		return append(b, "this"...)
+	}
+	for i, s := range p {
+		if i > 0 {
+			b = append(b, '.')
+		}
+		b = append(b, s...)
 	}
-	return strings.Join(p, ".")
+	return b
 }
 
 func (p Path) Leaf() string {
@@ -57,12 +66,17 @@ func DottedList(s string) List {
 
 type List []Path
 
-func (l List) String() string {
-	paths := make([]string, 0, len(l))
-	for _, f := range l {
-		paths = append(paths, f.String())
+func (l List) String() string { return string(l.AppendTo(nil)) }
+
+// AppendTo appends the string representation of the list to byte slice b.
+func (l List) AppendTo(b []byte) []byte {
+	for i, p := range l {
+		if i > 0 {
+			b = append(b, ',')
+		}
+		b = p.AppendTo(b)
 	}
-	return strings.Join(paths, ",")
+	return b
 }
 
 func (l List) Has(in Path) bool {
diff --git a/runtime/expr/renamer.go b/runtime/expr/renamer.go
index 2735f0a751..06b5e499cb 100644
--- a/runtime/expr/renamer.go
+++ b/runtime/expr/renamer.go
@@ -17,13 +17,85 @@ type Renamer struct {
 	zctx *zed.Context
 	// For the dst field name, we just store the leaf name since the
 	// src path and the dst path are the same and only differ in the leaf name.
-	srcs    field.List
-	dsts    field.List
-	typeMap map[int]*zed.TypeRecord
+	srcs    []*Lval
+	dsts    []*Lval
+	typeMap map[int]map[string]*zed.TypeRecord
+	// fieldsStr is used to reduce allocations when computing the fields id.
+	fieldsStr []byte
 }
 
-func NewRenamer(zctx *zed.Context, srcs, dsts field.List) *Renamer {
-	return &Renamer{zctx, srcs, dsts, make(map[int]*zed.TypeRecord)}
+func NewRenamer(zctx *zed.Context, srcs, dsts []*Lval) *Renamer {
+	return &Renamer{zctx, srcs, dsts, make(map[int]map[string]*zed.TypeRecord), nil}
+}
+
+func (r *Renamer) Eval(ectx Context, this *zed.Value) *zed.Value {
+	if !zed.IsRecordType(this.Type) {
+		return this
+	}
+	srcs, dsts, err := r.evalFields(ectx, this)
+	if err != nil {
+		return ectx.CopyValue(*r.zctx.WrapError(fmt.Sprintf("rename: %s", err), this))
+	}
+	id := this.Type.ID()
+	m, ok := r.typeMap[id]
+	if !ok {
+		m = make(map[string]*zed.TypeRecord)
+		r.typeMap[id] = m
+	}
+	r.fieldsStr = dsts.AppendTo(srcs.AppendTo(r.fieldsStr[:0]))
+	typ, ok := m[string(r.fieldsStr)]
+	if !ok {
+		var err error
+		typ, err = r.computeType(zed.TypeRecordOf(this.Type), srcs, dsts)
+		if err != nil {
+			return ectx.CopyValue(*r.zctx.WrapError(fmt.Sprintf("rename: %s", err), this))
+		}
+		m[string(r.fieldsStr)] = typ
+	}
+	return ectx.NewValue(typ, this.Bytes())
+}
+
+func CheckRenameField(src, dst field.Path) error {
+	if len(src) != len(dst) {
+		return fmt.Errorf("left-hand side and right-hand side must have the same depth (%s vs %s)", src, dst)
+	}
+	for i := 0; i <= len(src)-2; i++ {
+		if src[i] != dst[i] {
+			return fmt.Errorf("cannot rename %s to %s (differ in %s vs %s)", src, dst, src[i], dst[i])
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+func (r *Renamer) evalFields(ectx Context, this *zed.Value) (field.List, field.List, error) {
+	var srcs, dsts field.List
+	for i := range r.srcs {
+		src, err := r.srcs[i].Eval(ectx, this)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, nil, err
+		}
+		dst, err := r.dsts[i].Eval(ectx, this)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, nil, err
+		}
+		if err := CheckRenameField(src, dst); err != nil {
+			return nil, nil, err
+		}
+		srcs = append(srcs, src)
+		dsts = append(dsts, dst)
+	}
+	return srcs, dsts, nil
+}
+
+func (r *Renamer) computeType(typ *zed.TypeRecord, srcs, dsts field.List) (*zed.TypeRecord, error) {
+	for k, dst := range dsts {
+		var err error
+		typ, err = r.dstType(typ, srcs[k], dst)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, err
+		}
+	}
+	return typ, nil
 }
 
 func (r *Renamer) dstType(typ *zed.TypeRecord, src, dst field.Path) (*zed.TypeRecord, error) {
@@ -57,32 +129,3 @@ func (r *Renamer) dstType(typ *zed.TypeRecord, src, dst field.Path) (*zed.TypeRe
 	}
 	return typ, nil
 }
-
-func (r *Renamer) computeType(typ *zed.TypeRecord) (*zed.TypeRecord, error) {
-	for k, dst := range r.dsts {
-		var err error
-		typ, err = r.dstType(typ, r.srcs[k], dst)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, err
-		}
-	}
-	return typ, nil
-}
-
-func (r *Renamer) Eval(ectx Context, this *zed.Value) *zed.Value {
-	if !zed.IsRecordType(this.Type) {
-		return this
-	}
-	id := this.Type.ID()
-	typ, ok := r.typeMap[id]
-	if !ok {
-		var err error
-		typ, err = r.computeType(zed.TypeRecordOf(this.Type))
-		if err != nil {
-			return r.zctx.WrapError(fmt.Sprintf("rename: %s", err), this)
-		}
-		r.typeMap[id] = typ
-	}
-	out := this.Copy()
-	return ectx.NewValue(typ, out.Bytes())
-}
diff --git a/runtime/expr/ztests/rename-error-move.yaml b/runtime/expr/ztests/rename-error-move.yaml
index 9fc181586e..4aa70ad092 100644
--- a/runtime/expr/ztests/rename-error-move.yaml
+++ b/runtime/expr/ztests/rename-error-move.yaml
@@ -3,4 +3,4 @@ zed: rename dst:=id.resp_h
 input: |
   {id:{orig_h:10.164.94.120,orig_p:39681(port=uint16),resp_h:10.47.3.155,resp_p:3389(port)}}
 
-errorRE: "rename: cannot rename id.resp_h to dst"
+errorRE: "rename: left-hand side and right-hand side must have the same depth \\(dst vs id.resp_h\\)"
diff --git a/runtime/op/ztests/rename-dynamic-field.yaml b/runtime/op/ztests/rename-dynamic-field.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..dab3e7f4d3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/runtime/op/ztests/rename-dynamic-field.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,22 @@
+script: |
+  echo '{target:"foo",src:"bar"} {target:"fool",src:"baz"}' | zq -z 'rename this[target] := src' -
+  echo '// ==='
+  echo '{target:"a",a:"bar"} {target:"b",b:"baz"}' | zq -z 'rename dst := this[target]' -
+  # runtime error cases
+  echo '// ==='
+  echo '{foo:"a",bar:"b"}' | zq -z 'rename this[foo]["c"] := this[bar]["d"]' -
+  echo '// ==='
+  echo '{foo:"a"}' | zq -z 'rename this[foo]["c"] := this[foo]["a"]["b"]' -
+
+outputs:
+  - name: stdout
+    data: |
+      {target:"foo",foo:"bar"}
+      {target:"fool",fool:"baz"}
+      // ===
+      {target:"a",dst:"bar"}
+      {target:"b",dst:"baz"}
+      // ===
+      error({message:"rename: cannot rename b.d to a.c (differ in b vs a)",on:{foo:"a",bar:"b"}})
+      // ===
+      error({message:"rename: left-hand side and right-hand side must have the same depth (a.a.b vs a.c)",on:{foo:"a"}})