diff --git a/backportpackage b/backportpackage
index b291582..a475fa8 100755
--- a/backportpackage
+++ b/backportpackage
@@ -141,9 +141,10 @@ def find_release_package(mirror, workdir, package, version, source_release,
 
     if source_release:
         distribution = codename_to_distribution(source_release)
-
         if not distribution:
             error('Unknown release codename %s' % source_release)
+        info = vendor_to_distroinfo(distribution)()
+        source_release = info.codename(source_release, default=source_release)
     else:
         distribution = system_distribution()
     mirrors = [mirror] if mirror else []
diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index 4865426..eb36dd2 100644
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ ubuntu-dev-tools (0.139) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
     - Default to the devel release of the vendor distribution.
     - Provide transitional reverse-build-depends wrapper to help users
       discover reverse-depends. (LP: #910420)
+  * backportpackage: Map Debian release aliases to codenames (LP: #918231)
 
   [ Evan Broder]
   * sponsor-patch, requestsync, syncpackage: Add a config variable for -k