diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 7c4c51bd4e..3048f31092 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,8 +1,9 @@
-# next (1.7.0)
+# next
 
 ## Features
 
 ## Bug Fixes
+ * Fixes transaction name for non-sampled transactions [#581](https://github.com/elastic/apm-agent-java/issues/581)
 
 # 1.6.0
 
diff --git a/apm-agent-core/src/main/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/impl/transaction/AbstractSpan.java b/apm-agent-core/src/main/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/impl/transaction/AbstractSpan.java
index 7f3a03c0cf..5cce72c6b1 100644
--- a/apm-agent-core/src/main/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/impl/transaction/AbstractSpan.java
+++ b/apm-agent-core/src/main/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/impl/transaction/AbstractSpan.java
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@
 package co.elastic.apm.agent.impl.transaction;
 
 import co.elastic.apm.agent.impl.ElasticApmTracer;
+import co.elastic.apm.agent.impl.context.AbstractContext;
 import org.slf4j.Logger;
 import org.slf4j.LoggerFactory;
 
@@ -72,9 +73,6 @@ public StringBuilder getName() {
      * Generic designation of a transaction in the scope of a single service (eg: 'GET /users/:id')
      */
     public void setName(@Nullable String name) {
-        if (!isSampled()) {
-            return;
-        }
         this.name.setLength(0);
         this.name.append(name);
     }
@@ -130,11 +128,25 @@ public Span createSpan(long epochMicros) {
         return tracer.startSpan(this, epochMicros);
     }
 
-    public abstract void addLabel(String key, String value);
+    public void addLabel(String key, String value) {
+        if (isSampled()) {
+            getContext().addLabel(key, value);
+        }
+    }
+
+    public void addLabel(String key, Number value) {
+        if (isSampled()) {
+            getContext().addLabel(key, value);
+        }
+    }
 
-    public abstract void addLabel(String key, Number value);
+    public void addLabel(String key, Boolean value) {
+        if (isSampled()) {
+            getContext().addLabel(key, value);
+        }
+    }
 
-    public abstract void addLabel(String key, Boolean value);
+    public abstract AbstractContext getContext();
 
     protected void onStart() {
         this.finished = false;
diff --git a/apm-agent-core/src/main/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/impl/transaction/Span.java b/apm-agent-core/src/main/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/impl/transaction/Span.java
index 0456ca8a46..2ed22bcb43 100644
--- a/apm-agent-core/src/main/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/impl/transaction/Span.java
+++ b/apm-agent-core/src/main/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/impl/transaction/Span.java
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@ public <T> Span start(TraceContext.ChildContextCreator<T> childContextCreator, T
     /**
      * Any other arbitrary data captured by the agent, optionally provided by the user
      */
+    @Override
     public SpanContext getContext() {
         return context;
     }
@@ -191,21 +192,6 @@ public void resetState() {
         action = null;
     }
 
-    @Override
-    public void addLabel(String key, String value) {
-        context.addLabel(key, value);
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    public void addLabel(String key, Number value) {
-        context.addLabel(key, value);
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    public void addLabel(String key, Boolean value) {
-        context.addLabel(key, value);
-    }
-
     public void recycle() {
         tracer.recycle(this);
     }
diff --git a/apm-agent-core/src/main/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/impl/transaction/Transaction.java b/apm-agent-core/src/main/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/impl/transaction/Transaction.java
index fb3ad2d32e..3c8a3aea5f 100644
--- a/apm-agent-core/src/main/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/impl/transaction/Transaction.java
+++ b/apm-agent-core/src/main/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/impl/transaction/Transaction.java
@@ -87,6 +87,7 @@ public Transaction startNoop() {
      * <p>
      * Any arbitrary contextual information regarding the event, captured by the agent, optionally provided by the user
      */
+    @Override
     public TransactionContext getContext() {
         return context;
     }
@@ -104,9 +105,6 @@ public TransactionContext getContextEnsureVisibility() {
     }
 
     public Transaction withName(@Nullable String name) {
-        if (!isSampled()) {
-            return this;
-        }
         setName(name);
         return this;
     }
@@ -131,31 +129,10 @@ public String getResult() {
      * The result of the transaction. HTTP status code for HTTP-related transactions.
      */
     public Transaction withResult(@Nullable String result) {
-        if (!isSampled()) {
-            return this;
-        }
         this.result = result;
         return this;
     }
 
-    @Override
-    public void addLabel(String key, String value) {
-        if (!isSampled()) {
-            return;
-        }
-        getContext().addLabel(key, value);
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    public void addLabel(String key, Number value) {
-        context.addLabel(key, value);
-    }
-
-    @Override
-    public void addLabel(String key, Boolean value) {
-        context.addLabel(key, value);
-    }
-
     public void setUser(String id, String email, String username) {
         if (!isSampled()) {
             return;
diff --git a/apm-agent-plugins/apm-jaxrs-plugin/src/test/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/jaxrs/JaxRsTransactionNameInstrumentationTest.java b/apm-agent-plugins/apm-jaxrs-plugin/src/test/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/jaxrs/JaxRsTransactionNameInstrumentationTest.java
index 8d8dc845b1..5057e3b6cc 100644
--- a/apm-agent-plugins/apm-jaxrs-plugin/src/test/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/jaxrs/JaxRsTransactionNameInstrumentationTest.java
+++ b/apm-agent-plugins/apm-jaxrs-plugin/src/test/java/co/elastic/apm/agent/jaxrs/JaxRsTransactionNameInstrumentationTest.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
 
 import co.elastic.apm.agent.MockReporter;
 import co.elastic.apm.agent.bci.ElasticApmAgent;
+import co.elastic.apm.agent.configuration.CoreConfiguration;
 import co.elastic.apm.agent.configuration.SpyConfiguration;
 import co.elastic.apm.agent.impl.ElasticApmTracer;
 import co.elastic.apm.agent.impl.ElasticApmTracerBuilder;
@@ -38,6 +39,7 @@
 import javax.ws.rs.GET;
 import javax.ws.rs.Path;
 import javax.ws.rs.core.Application;
+import java.io.IOException;
 import java.util.List;
 
 import static org.assertj.core.api.Assertions.assertThat;
@@ -104,6 +106,17 @@ public void testJaxRsTransactionNameWithJaxrsAnnotationInheritance() {
         assertThat(actualTransactions.get(2).getName().toString()).isEqualTo("ResourceWithPathOnAbstract#testMethod");
     }
 
+    @Test
+    public void testJaxRsTransactionNameNonSampledTransactions() throws IOException {
+        config.getConfig(CoreConfiguration.class).getSampleRate().update(0.0, SpyConfiguration.CONFIG_SOURCE_NAME);
+
+        ElasticApmAgent.initInstrumentation(tracer, ByteBuddyAgent.install());
+
+        doRequest("test");
+        List<Transaction> actualTransactions = reporter.getTransactions();
+        assertThat(actualTransactions).hasSize(1);
+        assertThat(actualTransactions.get(0).getName().toString()).isEqualTo("ResourceWithPath#testMethod");
+    }
 
     /**
      * @return configuration for the jersey test server. Includes all resource classes in the co.elastic.apm.agent.jaxrs.resources package.