diff --git a/benchmarks/pywrapfn.jl b/benchmarks/pywrapfn.jl
index 9fd2149b..4a20c424 100644
--- a/benchmarks/pywrapfn.jl
+++ b/benchmarks/pywrapfn.jl
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ See check_pyargsptr(nargs::Int) above
 """
 function check_pyargsptr(pf::PyWrapFn{N, RT}) where {N, RT}
     if unsafe_load(pf.pyargsptr).ob_refcnt > 1
-        pydecref_(pf.pyargsptr)
+        pydecref_unsafe_(pf.pyargsptr)
         pf.pyargsptr =
             @pycheckn ccall((@pysym :PyTuple_New), PyPtr, (Int,), nargs)
     end
diff --git a/src/PyCall.jl b/src/PyCall.jl
index 76b041c0..f0d7a45f 100644
--- a/src/PyCall.jl
+++ b/src/PyCall.jl
@@ -76,21 +76,21 @@ mutable struct PyObject
     o::PyPtr # the actual PyObject*
     function PyObject(o::PyPtr)
         po = new(o)
-        finalizer(_pydecref_locked, po)
+        finalizer(pydecref_safe_, po)
         return po
     end
 end
 
 const PYDECREF_LOCK = ReentrantLock()
 
-function _pydecref_locked(po::PyObject)
+function pydecref_safe_(po::PyObject)
     # If available, we lock and decref
     !islocked(PYDECREF_LOCK) &&
-        trylock(() -> (pydecref_(po); true), PYDECREF_LOCK) &&
+        trylock(() -> (pydecref_unsafe_(po); true), PYDECREF_LOCK) &&
         return nothing
 
     # Add back to queue to be decref'd later
-    finalizer(_pydecref_locked, po)
+    finalizer(pydecref_safe_, po)
     return nothing
 end
 
@@ -127,13 +127,13 @@ it is equivalent to a `PyNULL()` object.
 """
 ispynull(o::PyObject) = o ≛ PyPtr_NULL
 
-function pydecref_(o::Union{PyPtr,PyObject})
+function pydecref_unsafe_(o::Union{PyPtr,PyObject})
     _finalized[] || ccall(@pysym(:Py_DecRef), Cvoid, (PyPtr,), o)
     return o
 end
 
 function pydecref(o::PyObject)
-    pydecref_(o)
+    pydecref_unsafe_(o)
     setfield!(o, :o, PyPtr_NULL)
     return o
 end
diff --git a/src/pyfncall.jl b/src/pyfncall.jl
index 11e81287..a70aad05 100644
--- a/src/pyfncall.jl
+++ b/src/pyfncall.jl
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ function _pycall!(ret::PyObject, o::Union{PyObject,PyPtr}, args, nargs::Int=leng
         end
         return __pycall!(ret, pyargsptr, o, kw) #::PyObject
     finally
-        pydecref_(pyargsptr)
+        pydecref_unsafe_(pyargsptr)
     end
 end
 
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ function __pycall!(ret::PyObject, pyargsptr::PyPtr, o::Union{PyObject,PyPtr},
     disable_sigint() do
         retptr = @pycheckn ccall((@pysym :PyObject_Call), PyPtr, (PyPtr,PyPtr,PyPtr), o,
                         pyargsptr, kw)
-        pydecref_(ret)
+        pydecref_unsafe_(ret)
         setfield!(ret, :o, retptr)
     end
     return ret #::PyObject
diff --git a/src/pyinit.jl b/src/pyinit.jl
index b3371a43..0f3b2987 100644
--- a/src/pyinit.jl
+++ b/src/pyinit.jl
@@ -110,7 +110,7 @@ end
 #########################################################################
 
 const _finalized = Ref(false)
-# This flag is set via `Py_AtExit` to avoid calling `pydecref_` after
+# This flag is set via `Py_AtExit` to avoid calling `pydecref_unsafe_` after
 # Python is finalized.
 
 function _set_finalized()