diff --git a/flang/runtime/connection.h b/flang/runtime/connection.h
--- a/flang/runtime/connection.h
+++ b/flang/runtime/connection.h
@@ -66,5 +66,32 @@
   // Mutable modes set at OPEN() that can be overridden in READ/WRITE & FORMAT
   MutableModes modes; // BLANK=, DECIMAL=, SIGN=, ROUND=, PAD=, DELIM=, kP
 };
+
+// Utility class for capturing and restoring a position in an input stream.
+class SavedPosition {
+public:
+  explicit SavedPosition(ConnectionState &c)
+      : connection_{c}, positionInRecord_{c.positionInRecord},
+        furthestPositionInRecord_{c.furthestPositionInRecord},
+        leftTabLimit_{c.leftTabLimit}, previousResumptionRecordNumber_{
+                                           c.resumptionRecordNumber} {
+    c.resumptionRecordNumber = c.currentRecordNumber;
+  }
+  ~SavedPosition() {
+    connection_.currentRecordNumber = *connection_.resumptionRecordNumber;
+    connection_.resumptionRecordNumber = previousResumptionRecordNumber_;
+    connection_.leftTabLimit = leftTabLimit_;
+    connection_.furthestPositionInRecord = furthestPositionInRecord_;
+    connection_.positionInRecord = positionInRecord_;
+  }
+
+private:
+  ConnectionState &connection_;
+  std::int64_t positionInRecord_;
+  std::int64_t furthestPositionInRecord_;
+  std::optional<std::int64_t> leftTabLimit_;
+  std::optional<std::int64_t> previousResumptionRecordNumber_;
+};
+
 } // namespace Fortran::runtime::io
 #endif // FORTRAN_RUNTIME_IO_CONNECTION_H_
diff --git a/flang/runtime/descriptor-io.h b/flang/runtime/descriptor-io.h
--- a/flang/runtime/descriptor-io.h
+++ b/flang/runtime/descriptor-io.h
@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@
   SubscriptValue subscripts[maxRank];
   descriptor.GetLowerBounds(subscripts);
   using IntType = CppTypeFor<TypeCategory::Integer, KIND>;
+  bool anyInput{false};
   for (std::size_t j{0}; j < numElements; ++j) {
     if (auto edit{io.GetNextDataEdit()}) {
       IntType &x{ExtractElement<IntType>(io, descriptor, subscripts)};
@@ -57,8 +58,10 @@
           return false;
         }
       } else if (edit->descriptor != DataEdit::ListDirectedNullValue) {
-        if (!EditIntegerInput(io, *edit, reinterpret_cast<void *>(&x), KIND)) {
-          return false;
+        if (EditIntegerInput(io, *edit, reinterpret_cast<void *>(&x), KIND)) {
+          anyInput = true;
+        } else {
+          return anyInput && edit->IsNamelist();
         }
       }
       if (!descriptor.IncrementSubscripts(subscripts) && j + 1 < numElements) {
@@ -79,6 +82,7 @@
   SubscriptValue subscripts[maxRank];
   descriptor.GetLowerBounds(subscripts);
   using RawType = typename RealOutputEditing<KIND>::BinaryFloatingPoint;
+  bool anyInput{false};
   for (std::size_t j{0}; j < numElements; ++j) {
     if (auto edit{io.GetNextDataEdit()}) {
       RawType &x{ExtractElement<RawType>(io, descriptor, subscripts)};
@@ -87,8 +91,10 @@
           return false;
         }
       } else if (edit->descriptor != DataEdit::ListDirectedNullValue) {
-        if (!EditRealInput<KIND>(io, *edit, reinterpret_cast<void *>(&x))) {
-          return false;
+        if (EditRealInput<KIND>(io, *edit, reinterpret_cast<void *>(&x))) {
+          anyInput = true;
+        } else {
+          return anyInput && edit->IsNamelist();
         }
       }
       if (!descriptor.IncrementSubscripts(subscripts) && j + 1 < numElements) {
@@ -111,6 +117,7 @@
   bool isListOutput{
       io.get_if<ListDirectedStatementState<Direction::Output>>() != nullptr};
   using RawType = typename RealOutputEditing<KIND>::BinaryFloatingPoint;
+  bool anyInput{false};
   for (std::size_t j{0}; j < numElements; ++j) {
     RawType *x{&ExtractElement<RawType>(io, descriptor, subscripts)};
     if (isListOutput) {
@@ -132,9 +139,11 @@
           }
         } else if (edit->descriptor == DataEdit::ListDirectedNullValue) {
           break;
-        } else if (!EditRealInput<KIND>(
+        } else if (EditRealInput<KIND>(
                        io, *edit, reinterpret_cast<void *>(x))) {
-          return false;
+          anyInput = true;
+        } else {
+          return anyInput && edit->IsNamelist();
         }
       }
     }
@@ -154,6 +163,7 @@
   descriptor.GetLowerBounds(subscripts);
   std::size_t length{descriptor.ElementBytes() / sizeof(A)};
   auto *listOutput{io.get_if<ListDirectedStatementState<Direction::Output>>()};
+  bool anyInput{false};
   for (std::size_t j{0}; j < numElements; ++j) {
     A *x{&ExtractElement<A>(io, descriptor, subscripts)};
     if (listOutput) {
@@ -167,8 +177,10 @@
         }
       } else {
         if (edit->descriptor != DataEdit::ListDirectedNullValue) {
-          if (!EditDefaultCharacterInput(io, *edit, x, length)) {
-            return false;
+          if (EditDefaultCharacterInput(io, *edit, x, length)) {
+            anyInput = true;
+          } else {
+            return anyInput && edit->IsNamelist();
           }
         }
       }
@@ -191,6 +203,7 @@
   descriptor.GetLowerBounds(subscripts);
   auto *listOutput{io.get_if<ListDirectedStatementState<Direction::Output>>()};
   using IntType = CppTypeFor<TypeCategory::Integer, KIND>;
+  bool anyInput{false};
   for (std::size_t j{0}; j < numElements; ++j) {
     IntType &x{ExtractElement<IntType>(io, descriptor, subscripts)};
     if (listOutput) {
@@ -207,8 +220,9 @@
           bool truth{};
           if (EditLogicalInput(io, *edit, truth)) {
             x = truth;
+            anyInput = true;
           } else {
-            return false;
+            return anyInput && edit->IsNamelist();
           }
         }
       }
diff --git a/flang/runtime/edit-input.cpp b/flang/runtime/edit-input.cpp
--- a/flang/runtime/edit-input.cpp
+++ b/flang/runtime/edit-input.cpp
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 //===----------------------------------------------------------------------===//
 
 #include "edit-input.h"
+#include "namelist.h"
 #include "flang/Common/real.h"
 #include "flang/Common/uint128.h"
 #include <algorithm>
@@ -69,6 +70,10 @@
   RUNTIME_CHECK(io.GetIoErrorHandler(), kind >= 1 && !(kind & (kind - 1)));
   switch (edit.descriptor) {
   case DataEdit::ListDirected:
+    if (IsNamelistName(io)) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    break;
   case 'G':
   case 'I':
     break;
@@ -298,6 +303,10 @@
   constexpr int binaryPrecision{common::PrecisionOfRealKind(KIND)};
   switch (edit.descriptor) {
   case DataEdit::ListDirected:
+    if (IsNamelistName(io)) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    return EditCommonRealInput<KIND>(io, edit, n);
   case DataEdit::ListDirectedRealPart:
   case DataEdit::ListDirectedImaginaryPart:
   case 'F':
@@ -326,6 +335,10 @@
 bool EditLogicalInput(IoStatementState &io, const DataEdit &edit, bool &x) {
   switch (edit.descriptor) {
   case DataEdit::ListDirected:
+    if (IsNamelistName(io)) {
+      return false;
+    }
+    break;
   case 'L':
   case 'G':
     break;
@@ -407,6 +420,9 @@
     io.HandleRelativePosition(1);
     return EditDelimitedCharacterInput(io, x, length, *ch);
   }
+  if (IsNamelistName(io)) {
+    return false;
+  }
   // Undelimited list-directed character input: stop at a value separator
   // or the end of the current record.
   std::optional<int> remaining{length};
diff --git a/flang/runtime/format.h b/flang/runtime/format.h
--- a/flang/runtime/format.h
+++ b/flang/runtime/format.h
@@ -51,6 +51,9 @@
     return descriptor == ListDirected || descriptor == ListDirectedRealPart ||
         descriptor == ListDirectedImaginaryPart;
   }
+  constexpr bool IsNamelist() const {
+    return IsListDirected() && modes.inNamelist;
+  }
 
   static constexpr char DefinedDerivedType{'d'}; // DT user-defined derived type
 
diff --git a/flang/runtime/io-stmt.h b/flang/runtime/io-stmt.h
--- a/flang/runtime/io-stmt.h
+++ b/flang/runtime/io-stmt.h
@@ -229,10 +229,10 @@
   std::optional<DataEdit> GetNextDataEdit(
       IoStatementState &, int maxRepeat = 1);
 
-  // Each NAMELIST input item is a distinct "list-directed"
-  // input statement.  This member function resets this state
-  // so that repetition and null values work correctly for each
-  // successive NAMELIST input item.
+  // Each NAMELIST input item is treated like a distinct list-directed
+  // input statement.  This member function resets some state so that
+  // repetition and null values work correctly for each successive
+  // NAMELIST input item.
   void ResetForNextNamelistItem() {
     remaining_ = 0;
     eatComma_ = false;
diff --git a/flang/runtime/namelist.h b/flang/runtime/namelist.h
--- a/flang/runtime/namelist.h
+++ b/flang/runtime/namelist.h
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@
 
 namespace Fortran::runtime {
 class Descriptor;
+class IoStatementState;
 } // namespace Fortran::runtime
 
 namespace Fortran::runtime::io {
@@ -33,5 +34,11 @@
   std::size_t items;
   const Item *item; // in original declaration order
 };
+
+// Look ahead on input for an identifier followed by a '=', '(', or '%'
+// character; for use in disambiguating a name-like value (e.g. F or T) from a
+// NAMELIST group item name.  Always false when not reading a NAMELIST.
+bool IsNamelistName(IoStatementState &);
+
 } // namespace Fortran::runtime::io
 #endif // FORTRAN_RUNTIME_NAMELIST_H_
diff --git a/flang/runtime/namelist.cpp b/flang/runtime/namelist.cpp
--- a/flang/runtime/namelist.cpp
+++ b/flang/runtime/namelist.cpp
@@ -333,7 +333,7 @@
       return false;
     }
     io.HandleRelativePosition(1);
-    // Read the values into the descriptor
+    // Read the values into the descriptor.  An array can be short.
     listInput->ResetForNextNamelistItem();
     if (!descr::DescriptorIO<Direction::Input>(io, *useDescriptor)) {
       return false;
@@ -352,4 +352,25 @@
   return true;
 }
 
+bool IsNamelistName(IoStatementState &io) {
+  if (io.get_if<ListDirectedStatementState<Direction::Input>>()) {
+    ConnectionState &connection{io.GetConnectionState()};
+    if (connection.modes.inNamelist) {
+      SavedPosition savedPosition{connection};
+      if (auto ch{io.GetNextNonBlank()}) {
+        if (IsLegalIdStart(*ch)) {
+          do {
+            io.HandleRelativePosition(1);
+            ch = io.GetCurrentChar();
+          } while (ch && IsLegalIdChar(*ch));
+          ch = io.GetNextNonBlank();
+          // TODO: how to deal with NaN(...) ambiguity?
+          return ch && (ch == '=' || ch == '(' || ch == '%');
+        }
+      }
+    }
+  }
+  return false;
+}
+
 } // namespace Fortran::runtime::io
diff --git a/flang/unittests/Runtime/Namelist.cpp b/flang/unittests/Runtime/Namelist.cpp
--- a/flang/unittests/Runtime/Namelist.cpp
+++ b/flang/unittests/Runtime/Namelist.cpp
@@ -161,4 +161,32 @@
   EXPECT_EQ(got, expect);
 }
 
+TEST(NamelistTests, ShortArrayInput) {
+  OwningPtr<Descriptor> aDesc{
+      MakeArray<TypeCategory::Integer, static_cast<int>(sizeof(int))>(
+          std::vector<int>{2}, std::vector<int>(2, -1))};
+  OwningPtr<Descriptor> bDesc{
+      MakeArray<TypeCategory::Integer, static_cast<int>(sizeof(int))>(
+          std::vector<int>{2}, std::vector<int>(2, -2))};
+  const NamelistGroup::Item items[]{{"a", *aDesc}, {"b", *bDesc}};
+  const NamelistGroup group{"nl", 2, items};
+  // Two 12-character lines of internal input
+  static char t1[]{"&nl a = 1 b "
+                   " = 2 /      "};
+  StaticDescriptor<1, true> statDesc;
+  Descriptor &internalDesc{statDesc.descriptor()};
+  SubscriptValue shape{2};
+  internalDesc.Establish(1, 12, t1, 1, &shape, CFI_attribute_pointer);
+  auto inCookie{IONAME(BeginInternalArrayListInput)(
+      internalDesc, nullptr, 0, __FILE__, __LINE__)};
+  ASSERT_TRUE(IONAME(InputNamelist)(inCookie, group));
+  auto inStatus{IONAME(EndIoStatement)(inCookie)};
+  ASSERT_EQ(inStatus, 0) << "Failed namelist input subscripts, status "
+                         << static_cast<int>(inStatus);
+  EXPECT_EQ(*aDesc->ZeroBasedIndexedElement<int>(0), 1);
+  EXPECT_EQ(*aDesc->ZeroBasedIndexedElement<int>(1), -1);
+  EXPECT_EQ(*bDesc->ZeroBasedIndexedElement<int>(0), 2);
+  EXPECT_EQ(*bDesc->ZeroBasedIndexedElement<int>(1), -2);
+}
+
 // TODO: Internal NAMELIST error tests