diff --git a/mysql-test/r/ctype_ucs.result b/mysql-test/r/ctype_ucs.result
index 023267c227c..cd734ff9d23 100644
--- a/mysql-test/r/ctype_ucs.result
+++ b/mysql-test/r/ctype_ucs.result
@@ -811,6 +811,14 @@ quote(name)
 ????????
 ????????????????
 drop table bug20536;
+set names ucs2;
+ERROR 42000: Variable 'character_set_client' can't be set to the value of 'ucs2'
+set names ucs2 collate ucs2_bin;
+ERROR 42000: Variable 'character_set_client' can't be set to the value of 'ucs2'
+set character_set_client= ucs2;
+ERROR 42000: Variable 'character_set_client' can't be set to the value of 'ucs2'
+set character_set_client= concat('ucs', substr('2', 1));
+ERROR 42000: Variable 'character_set_client' can't be set to the value of 'ucs2'
 End of 4.1 tests
 CREATE TABLE t1 (a varchar(64) character set ucs2, b decimal(10,3));
 INSERT INTO t1 VALUES ("1.1", 0), ("2.1", 0);
diff --git a/mysql-test/t/ctype_ucs.test b/mysql-test/t/ctype_ucs.test
index bca3a9c3a96..a56a8b6eeed 100644
--- a/mysql-test/t/ctype_ucs.test
+++ b/mysql-test/t/ctype_ucs.test
@@ -547,6 +547,18 @@ select quote(name) from bug20536;
 
 drop table bug20536;
 
+#
+# Bug #31615: crash after set names ucs2 collate xxx
+#
+--error 1231
+set names ucs2;
+--error 1231
+set names ucs2 collate ucs2_bin;
+--error 1231
+set character_set_client= ucs2;
+--error 1231
+set character_set_client= concat('ucs', substr('2', 1));
+
 --echo End of 4.1 tests
 
 #
diff --git a/sql/set_var.cc b/sql/set_var.cc
index 2c961868bba..3387a69bc97 100644
--- a/sql/set_var.cc
+++ b/sql/set_var.cc
@@ -2223,6 +2223,21 @@ sys_var_character_set_filesystem::set_default(THD *thd, enum_var_type type)
 }
 
 
+bool sys_var_character_set_client::check(THD *thd, set_var *var)
+{
+  if (sys_var_character_set::check(thd, var))
+    return 1;
+  /* Currently, UCS-2 cannot be used as a client character set */
+  if (var->save_result.charset->mbminlen > 1)
+  {
+    my_error(ER_WRONG_VALUE_FOR_VAR, MYF(0), name, 
+             var->save_result.charset->csname); 
+    return 1;
+  }
+  return 0;
+}
+
+
 CHARSET_INFO **
 sys_var_character_set_results::ci_ptr(THD *thd, enum_var_type type)
 {
@@ -2562,6 +2577,13 @@ end:
 
 int set_var_collation_client::check(THD *thd)
 {
+  /* Currently, UCS-2 cannot be used as a client character set */
+  if (character_set_client->mbminlen > 1)
+  {
+    my_error(ER_WRONG_VALUE_FOR_VAR, MYF(0), "character_set_client",
+             character_set_client->csname);
+    return 1;
+  }
   return 0;
 }
 
diff --git a/sql/set_var.h b/sql/set_var.h
index 6000e155db9..d408384d5f0 100644
--- a/sql/set_var.h
+++ b/sql/set_var.h
@@ -613,6 +613,7 @@ public:
     sys_var_character_set(name_arg) {}
   void set_default(THD *thd, enum_var_type type);
   CHARSET_INFO **ci_ptr(THD *thd, enum_var_type type);
+  bool check(THD *thd, set_var *var);
 };
 
 class sys_var_character_set_results :public sys_var_character_set