diff --git a/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/regex/internal/ParseRegExp.qll b/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/regex/internal/ParseRegExp.qll
index 66c6031bb2e..8951df78833 100644
--- a/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/regex/internal/ParseRegExp.qll
+++ b/cpp/ql/lib/semmle/code/cpp/regex/internal/ParseRegExp.qll
@@ -502,13 +502,7 @@ abstract class RegExp extends StringLiteral {
   }
 
   /** Gets the name, if it has one, of the group in start,end */
-  string getGroupName(int start, int end) {
-    this.group(start, end) and
-    exists(int nameEnd |
-      this.namedGroupStart(start, nameEnd) and
-      result = this.getText().substring(start + 3, nameEnd - 1)
-    )
-  }
+  string getGroupName(int start, int end) { none() }
 
   /** Whether the text in the range start, end is a group and can match the empty string. */
   predicate zeroWidthMatch(int start, int end) {
@@ -586,8 +580,6 @@ abstract class RegExp extends StringLiteral {
   private predicate groupStart(int start, int end) {
     this.nonCapturingGroupStart(start, end)
     or
-    this.namedGroupStart(start, end)
-    or
     this.lookaheadAssertionStart(start, end)
     or
     this.negativeLookaheadAssertionStart(start, end)
@@ -603,7 +595,7 @@ abstract class RegExp extends StringLiteral {
   private predicate nonCapturingGroupStart(int start, int end) {
     this.isGroupStart(start) and
     this.getChar(start + 1) = "?" and
-    this.getChar(start + 2) = [":", "=", "<", "!", "#"] and
+    this.getChar(start + 2) = [":", "=", "!", "#"] and
     end = start + 3
   }
 
@@ -614,25 +606,6 @@ abstract class RegExp extends StringLiteral {
     end = start + 1
   }
 
-  /**
-   * Matches the start of a named group, such as:
-   * - `(?<name>\w+)`
-   * - `(?'name'\w+)`
-   */
-  private predicate namedGroupStart(int start, int end) {
-    this.isGroupStart(start) and
-    this.getChar(start + 1) = "?" and
-    (
-      this.getChar(start + 2) = "<" and
-      not this.getChar(start + 3) = "=" and // (?<=foo) is a positive lookbehind assertion
-      not this.getChar(start + 3) = "!" and // (?<!foo) is a negative lookbehind assertion
-      exists(int nameEnd |
-        nameEnd = min(int i | i > start + 3 and this.getChar(i) = ">") and
-        end = nameEnd + 1
-      )
-    )
-  }
-
   /** Matches the start of a positive lookahead assertion, i.e. `(?=`. */
   private predicate lookaheadAssertionStart(int start, int end) {
     this.isGroupStart(start) and
diff --git a/cpp/ql/test/library-tests/regex/parse.expected b/cpp/ql/test/library-tests/regex/parse.expected
index 5427d40f61c..b242ae94712 100644
--- a/cpp/ql/test/library-tests/regex/parse.expected
+++ b/cpp/ql/test/library-tests/regex/parse.expected
@@ -44,8 +44,6 @@
 
 #-----| [RegExpConstant, RegExpNormalChar] b
 
-#-----| [RegExpCharacterClassEscape] \w
-
 #-----| [RegExpConstant, RegExpNormalChar] :
 
 #-----| [RegExpCharacterClassEscape] \w
@@ -173,10 +171,10 @@
 #-----| 0 -> [RegExpCharacterClass] [[:alpha:]]
 #-----| 1 -> [RegExpCharacterClass] [[:digit:]]
 
-#-----| [RegExpSequence] (?<qux>q+)\s+\k<qux>+
-#-----| 0 -> [RegExpGroup] (?<qux>q+)
+#-----| [RegExpSequence] (q+)\s+\k<q>+
+#-----| 0 -> [RegExpGroup] (q+)
 #-----| 1 -> [RegExpPlus] \s+
-#-----| 2 -> [RegExpPlus] \k<qux>+
+#-----| 2 -> [RegExpPlus] \k<q>+
 
 #-----| [RegExpSequence] (a+)b+\1
 #-----| 0 -> [RegExpGroup] (a+)
@@ -237,7 +235,7 @@
 #-----| 2 -> [RegExpOpt] c?
 #-----| 3 -> [RegExpConstant, RegExpNormalChar] d
 
-#-----| [RegExpBackRef] \k<qux>
+#-----| [RegExpBackRef] \k<q>
 
 #-----| [RegExpBackRef] \1
 
@@ -249,15 +247,12 @@
 
 #-----| [RegExpDot] .
 
-#-----| [RegExpGroup] (?<qux>q+)
+#-----| [RegExpGroup] (q+)
 #-----| 0 -> [RegExpPlus] q+
 
 #-----| [RegExpGroup] (a+)
 #-----| 0 -> [RegExpPlus] a+
 
-#-----| [RegExpGroup] (?<id>\w+)
-#-----| 0 -> [RegExpPlus] \w+
-
 #-----| [RegExpGroup] (?::+)
 #-----| 0 -> [RegExpPlus] :+
 
@@ -364,8 +359,8 @@
 #-----| [RegExpPlus] \s+
 #-----| 0 -> [RegExpCharacterClassEscape] \s
 
-#-----| [RegExpPlus] \k<qux>+
-#-----| 0 -> [RegExpBackRef] \k<qux>
+#-----| [RegExpPlus] \k<q>+
+#-----| 0 -> [RegExpBackRef] \k<q>
 
 #-----| [RegExpPlus] a+
 #-----| 0 -> [RegExpConstant, RegExpNormalChar] a
@@ -373,9 +368,6 @@
 #-----| [RegExpPlus] b+
 #-----| 0 -> [RegExpConstant, RegExpNormalChar] b
 
-#-----| [RegExpPlus] \w+
-#-----| 0 -> [RegExpCharacterClassEscape] \w
-
 #-----| [RegExpPlus] :+
 #-----| 0 -> [RegExpConstant, RegExpNormalChar] :
 
diff --git a/cpp/ql/test/library-tests/regex/regexp.cpp b/cpp/ql/test/library-tests/regex/regexp.cpp
index 397f28a47ab..b50fe9b65d3 100644
--- a/cpp/ql/test/library-tests/regex/regexp.cpp
+++ b/cpp/ql/test/library-tests/regex/regexp.cpp
@@ -58,12 +58,9 @@ std::regex r_grp2("fo(o|b)ar");
 std::regex r_grp3("(a|b|cd)e");
 std::regex r_grp4("(?::+)\\w"); // Non-capturing group matching colons
 
-// Named groups
-std::regex r_ng1("(?<id>\\w+)");
-
 // Backreferences
 std::regex r_bref1("(a+)b+\\1");
-std::regex r_bref2("(?<qux>q+)\\s+\\k<qux>+");
+std::regex r_bref2("(q+)\\s+\\k<q>+");
 
 // Two separate character classes, each containing a single POSIX bracket expression
 std::regex r_posix1("[[:alpha:]][[:digit:]]");
diff --git a/cpp/ql/test/library-tests/regex/regexp.expected b/cpp/ql/test/library-tests/regex/regexp.expected
index 75e66c987f5..7f6eb7afd1f 100644
--- a/cpp/ql/test/library-tests/regex/regexp.expected
+++ b/cpp/ql/test/library-tests/regex/regexp.expected
@@ -1,11 +1,10 @@
 groupName
-| file://:0:0:0:0 | (?<id>\\w+) | id |
-| file://:0:0:0:0 | (?<qux>q+) | qux |
 groupNumber
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | (a+) | 1 |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | (a\|b\|cd) | 1 |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | (foo) | 1 |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | (o\|b) | 1 |
+| file://:0:0:0:0 | (q+) | 1 |
 term
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | 0 | RegExpConstant,RegExpNormalChar |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | 0-9 | RegExpCharacterRange |
@@ -16,9 +15,6 @@ term
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | !a | RegExpConstant,RegExpNormalChar |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | (?::+) | RegExpGroup |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | (?::+)\\w | RegExpSequence |
-| file://:0:0:0:0 | (?<id>\\w+) | RegExpGroup |
-| file://:0:0:0:0 | (?<qux>q+) | RegExpGroup |
-| file://:0:0:0:0 | (?<qux>q+)\\s+\\k<qux>+ | RegExpSequence |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | (a+) | RegExpGroup |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | (a+)b+\\1 | RegExpSequence |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | (a\|b\|cd) | RegExpGroup |
@@ -27,6 +23,8 @@ term
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | (foo)* | RegExpStar |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | (foo)*bar | RegExpSequence |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | (o\|b) | RegExpGroup |
+| file://:0:0:0:0 | (q+) | RegExpGroup |
+| file://:0:0:0:0 | (q+)\\s+\\k<q>+ | RegExpSequence |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | - | RegExpConstant,RegExpNormalChar |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | . | RegExpDot |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | . | RegExpDot |
@@ -74,8 +72,8 @@ term
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | \\b!a\\B | RegExpSequence |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | \\d | RegExpCharacterClassEscape |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | \\d\\D | RegExpSequence |
-| file://:0:0:0:0 | \\k<qux> | RegExpBackRef |
-| file://:0:0:0:0 | \\k<qux>+ | RegExpPlus |
+| file://:0:0:0:0 | \\k<q> | RegExpBackRef |
+| file://:0:0:0:0 | \\k<q>+ | RegExpPlus |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | \\n | RegExpConstant,RegExpEscape |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | \\n | RegExpConstant,RegExpEscape |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | \\n\\r\\t | RegExpSequence |
@@ -89,8 +87,6 @@ term
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | \\w | RegExpCharacterClassEscape |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | \\w | RegExpCharacterClassEscape |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | \\w | RegExpCharacterClassEscape |
-| file://:0:0:0:0 | \\w | RegExpCharacterClassEscape |
-| file://:0:0:0:0 | \\w+ | RegExpPlus |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | \\w+ | RegExpPlus |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | \\w+\\W | RegExpSequence |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | \| | RegExpConstant,RegExpNormalChar |
@@ -195,7 +191,6 @@ regExpNormalCharValue
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | \\w | w |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | \\w | w |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | \\w | w |
-| file://:0:0:0:0 | \\w | w |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | \| | \| |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | ] | ] |
 | file://:0:0:0:0 | ] | ] |