diff --git a/script/ethercat.conf b/script/ethercat.conf
index 91ccaeb8..f6f0a549 100644
--- a/script/ethercat.conf
+++ b/script/ethercat.conf
@@ -17,6 +17,10 @@
 # Specify the MAC address (hexadecimal with colons) of the Ethernet device to
 # use. Example: "00:00:08:44:ab:66"
 #
+# Alternatively, a network interface name can be specified. The interface
+# name will be resolved to a MAC address using the 'ip' command.
+# Example: "eth0"
+#
 # The broadcast address "ff:ff:ff:ff:ff:ff" has a special meaning: It tells
 # the master to accept the first device offered by any Ethernet driver.
 #
@@ -24,6 +28,10 @@
 # created: A non-empty variable MASTER0_DEVICE will create one master, adding a
 # non-empty variable MASTER1_DEVICE will create a second master, and so on.
 #
+# Examples:
+# MASTER0_DEVICE="00:00:08:44:ab:66"
+# MASTER0_DEVICE="eth0"
+#
 MASTER0_DEVICE=""
 #MASTER1_DEVICE=""
 
diff --git a/script/ethercatctl.in b/script/ethercatctl.in
index 62dae0bd..361b95d8 100755
--- a/script/ethercatctl.in
+++ b/script/ethercatctl.in
@@ -4,9 +4,7 @@
 #
 #  Start script for EtherCAT to use with systemd
 #
-#  $Id$
-#
-#  Copyright (C) 2006-2012  Florian Pose, Ingenieurgemeinschaft IgH
+#  Copyright (C) 2006-2021  Florian Pose, Ingenieurgemeinschaft IgH
 #
 #  This file is part of the IgH EtherCAT Master.
 #
@@ -37,6 +35,7 @@ LSMOD=/sbin/lsmod
 MODPROBE=/sbin/modprobe
 RMMOD=/sbin/rmmod
 MODINFO=/sbin/modinfo
+IP=/bin/ip
 
 ETHERCAT=@bindir@/ethercat
 
@@ -55,13 +54,22 @@ fi
 #------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
 parse_mac_address() {
+    local DEVICENAMETOMAC
     if [ -z "${1}" ]; then
         MAC=""
-    elif echo "${1}" | grep -qE '^([0-9a-fA-F]{2}:){5}[0-9a-fA-F]{2}$'; then
+    elif echo ${1} | grep -qE '^([0-9a-fA-F]{2}:){5}[0-9a-fA-F]{2}$'; then
         MAC=${1}
     else
-        echo Invalid MAC address \""${1}"\" in ${ETHERCAT_CONFIG}
-        exit 1
+        DEVICENAMETOMAC=$("${IP}" address show dev "${1}" |
+            awk '/link\/ether/ { print $2; }')
+        if echo "${DEVICENAMETOMAC}" |
+            grep -qE '^([0-9a-fA-F]{2}:){5}[0-9a-fA-F]{2}$'; then
+            MAC=${DEVICENAMETOMAC}
+        else
+            echo Invalid MAC address or interface name \""${1}"\" \
+                in ${ETHERCAT_CONFIG}
+            exit 1
+        fi
     fi
 }