diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index b345626df5e..9690dbaf179 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 ## [`master`](https://github.com/elastic/eui/tree/master)
 
-No public interface changes since `4.4.1`.
+- Added support for nodes as column headers in `EuiBasicTable` for supporting things like tooltips and localized text. ([#1234](https://github.com/elastic/eui/pull/1234))
 
 ## [`4.4.1`](https://github.com/elastic/eui/tree/v4.4.1)
 
diff --git a/src-docs/src/views/tables/basic/props_info.js b/src-docs/src/views/tables/basic/props_info.js
index d2f3f9ede60..8bc03b4f538 100644
--- a/src-docs/src/views/tables/basic/props_info.js
+++ b/src-docs/src/views/tables/basic/props_info.js
@@ -150,7 +150,7 @@ export const propsInfo = {
         name: {
           description: 'The display name of the column',
           required: true,
-          type: { name: 'string' }
+          type: { name: 'PropTypes.node' }
         },
         description: {
           description: 'A description of the column (will be presented as a title over the column header',
@@ -213,7 +213,7 @@ export const propsInfo = {
         name: {
           description: 'The display name of the column',
           required: false,
-          type: { name: 'string' }
+          type: { name: 'PropTypes.node' }
         },
         description: {
           description: 'A description of the column (will be presented as a title over the column header',
@@ -248,7 +248,7 @@ export const propsInfo = {
         name: {
           description: 'The display name of the column',
           required: false,
-          type: { name: 'string' }
+          type: { name: 'PropTypes.node' }
         },
         description: {
           description: 'A description of the column (will be presented as a title over the column header',
diff --git a/src-docs/src/views/tables/custom/compressed.js b/src-docs/src/views/tables/custom/compressed.js
deleted file mode 100644
index 673589f77c3..00000000000
--- a/src-docs/src/views/tables/custom/compressed.js
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,217 +0,0 @@
-import React, {
-  Component,
-} from 'react';
-
-import {
-  EuiCheckbox,
-  EuiIcon,
-  EuiLink,
-  EuiTable,
-  EuiTableBody,
-  EuiTableHeader,
-  EuiTableHeaderCell,
-  EuiTableHeaderCellCheckbox,
-  EuiTableRow,
-  EuiTableRowCell,
-  EuiTableRowCellCheckbox,
-} from '../../../../../src/components';
-
-import {
-  LEFT_ALIGNMENT,
-} from '../../../../../src/services';
-
-export default class extends Component {
-  constructor(props) {
-    super(props);
-
-    this.state = {
-      itemIdToSelectedMap: {
-        2: true,
-      },
-    };
-
-    this.items = [{
-      id: 0,
-      title: 'A very long line which will wrap on narrower screens and NOT become truncated using an ellipsis',
-      type: 'user',
-      dateCreated: 'Tue Dec 01 2016 12:56:15 GMT-0800 (PST)',
-    }, {
-      id: 1,
-      title: {
-        value: 'A very long line which will not wrap on narrower screens and instead will become truncated using an ellipsis',
-        truncateText: true,
-      },
-      type: 'user',
-      dateCreated: 'Tue Dec 01 2016 12:56:15 GMT-0800 (PST)',
-    }, {
-      id: 2,
-      title: {
-        value: 'Boomerang',
-        isLink: true,
-      },
-      type: 'user',
-      dateCreated: 'Tue Dec 28 2016 12:56:15 GMT-0800 (PST)',
-    }, {
-      id: 3,
-      title: {
-        value: 'Celebration',
-        isLink: true,
-      },
-      type: 'user',
-      dateCreated: 'Tue Dec 16 2016 12:56:15 GMT-0800 (PST)',
-    }, {
-      id: 4,
-      title: {
-        value: 'Dog',
-        isLink: true,
-      },
-      type: 'user',
-      dateCreated: 'Tue Dec 13 2016 12:56:15 GMT-0800 (PST)',
-    }];
-
-    this.columns = [{
-      id: 'checkbox',
-      isCheckbox: true,
-      width: '20px',
-    }, {
-      id: 'title',
-      label: 'Title',
-      alignment: LEFT_ALIGNMENT,
-    }, {
-      id: 'type',
-      label: 'Type',
-      alignment: LEFT_ALIGNMENT,
-      width: '60px',
-      cellProvider: cell => <EuiIcon type={cell} size="m" />,
-    }, {
-      id: 'dateCreated',
-      label: 'Date created',
-      alignment: LEFT_ALIGNMENT,
-    }];
-  }
-
-  toggleItem = itemId => {
-    const newItemIdToSelectedMap = ({ ...this.state.itemIdToSelectedMap, ...{
-      [itemId]: !this.state.itemIdToSelectedMap[itemId],
-    } });
-
-    this.setState({
-      itemIdToSelectedMap: newItemIdToSelectedMap,
-    });
-  }
-
-  toggleAll = () => {
-    const allSelected = this.areAllItemsSelected();
-    const newItemIdToSelectedMap = {};
-    this.items.forEach(item => newItemIdToSelectedMap[item.id] = !allSelected);
-
-
-    this.setState({
-      itemIdToSelectedMap: newItemIdToSelectedMap,
-    });
-  }
-
-  isItemSelected = itemId => {
-    return this.state.itemIdToSelectedMap[itemId];
-  }
-
-  areAllItemsSelected = () => {
-    const indexOfUnselectedItem = this.items.findIndex(item => !this.isItemSelected(item.id));
-    return indexOfUnselectedItem === -1;
-  }
-
-  renderHeaderCells() {
-    return this.columns.map((column, columnIndex) => {
-      if (column.isCheckbox) {
-        return (
-          <EuiTableHeaderCellCheckbox
-            key={column.id}
-            width={column.width}
-          >
-            <EuiCheckbox
-              id="selectAllCheckbox"
-              checked={this.areAllItemsSelected()}
-              onChange={this.toggleAll.bind(this)}
-              type="inList"
-            />
-          </EuiTableHeaderCellCheckbox>
-        );
-      }
-
-      return (
-        <EuiTableHeaderCell
-          key={column.id}
-          align={this.columns[columnIndex].alignment}
-          width={column.width}
-        >
-          {column.label}
-        </EuiTableHeaderCell>
-      );
-    });
-  }
-
-  renderRows() {
-    return this.items.map(item => {
-      const cells = this.columns.map(column => {
-        const cell = item[column.id];
-
-        let child;
-
-        if (column.isCheckbox) {
-          return (
-            <EuiTableRowCellCheckbox key={column.id}>
-              <EuiCheckbox
-                id={`${item.id}-checkbox`}
-                checked={this.isItemSelected(item.id)}
-                onChange={this.toggleItem.bind(this, item.id)}
-                type="inList"
-              />
-            </EuiTableRowCellCheckbox>
-          );
-        } else if (column.cellProvider) {
-          child = column.cellProvider(cell);
-        } else if (cell.isLink) {
-          child = <EuiLink href="">{cell.value}</EuiLink>;
-        } else if (cell.truncateText) {
-          child = cell.value;
-        } else {
-          child = cell;
-        }
-
-        return (
-          <EuiTableRowCell
-            key={column.id}
-            header={column.label}
-            align={column.alignment}
-            truncateText={cell && cell.truncateText}
-          >
-            {child}
-          </EuiTableRowCell>
-        );
-      });
-
-      return (
-        <EuiTableRow
-          key={item.id}
-          isSelected={this.isItemSelected(item.id)}
-        >
-          {cells}
-        </EuiTableRow>
-      );
-    });
-  }
-
-  render() {
-    return (
-      <EuiTable compressed>
-        <EuiTableHeader>
-          {this.renderHeaderCells()}
-        </EuiTableHeader>
-
-        <EuiTableBody>
-          {this.renderRows()}
-        </EuiTableBody>
-      </EuiTable>
-    );
-  }
-}
diff --git a/src-docs/src/views/tables/custom/custom.js b/src-docs/src/views/tables/custom/custom.js
index 204b60ed8d6..064698e564f 100644
--- a/src-docs/src/views/tables/custom/custom.js
+++ b/src-docs/src/views/tables/custom/custom.js
@@ -581,7 +581,6 @@ export default class extends Component {
         footers.push(
           <EuiTableFooterCell
             key={`footer_${column.id}`}
-            header={column.title}
             align={column.alignment}
           >
             {footer}
@@ -591,7 +590,6 @@ export default class extends Component {
         footers.push(
           <EuiTableFooterCell
             key={`footer_empty_${footers.length - 1}`}
-            header={column.title}
             align={column.alignment}
           >
             {undefined}
diff --git a/src-docs/src/views/tables/sorting/sorting.js b/src-docs/src/views/tables/sorting/sorting.js
index ac2a9f149c6..0bd282d8548 100644
--- a/src-docs/src/views/tables/sorting/sorting.js
+++ b/src-docs/src/views/tables/sorting/sorting.js
@@ -1,13 +1,15 @@
 import React, {
-  Component
+  Component,
 } from 'react';
 import { formatDate } from '../../../../../src/services/format';
 import { createDataStore } from '../data_store';
 
 import {
   EuiBasicTable,
-  EuiLink,
   EuiHealth,
+  EuiIcon,
+  EuiLink,
+  EuiToolTip,
 } from '../../../../../src/components';
 
 /*
@@ -99,7 +101,13 @@ export class Table extends Component {
       )
     }, {
       field: 'github',
-      name: 'Github',
+      name: (
+        <EuiToolTip content="Their mascot is the Octokitty">
+          <span>
+            Github <EuiIcon size="s" color="subdued" type="questionInCircle" />
+          </span>
+        </EuiToolTip>
+      ),
       render: (username) => (
         <EuiLink href={`https://github.com/${username}`} target="_blank">
           {username}
@@ -107,20 +115,38 @@ export class Table extends Component {
       )
     }, {
       field: 'dateOfBirth',
-      name: 'Date of Birth',
+      name: (
+        <EuiToolTip content="Colloquially known as a 'birthday'">
+          <span>
+            Date of Birth <EuiIcon size="s" color="subdued" type="questionInCircle" />
+          </span>
+        </EuiToolTip>
+      ),
       dataType: 'date',
       render: (date) => formatDate(date, 'dobLong'),
       sortable: true
     }, {
       field: 'nationality',
-      name: 'Nationality',
+      name: (
+        <EuiToolTip content="The nation in which this person resides">
+          <span>
+            Nationality <EuiIcon size="s" color="subdued" type="questionInCircle" />
+          </span>
+        </EuiToolTip>
+      ),
       render: (countryCode) => {
         const country = store.getCountry(countryCode);
         return `${country.flag} ${country.name}`;
       }
     }, {
       field: 'online',
-      name: 'Online',
+      name: (
+        <EuiToolTip content="Free to talk or busy with business">
+          <span>
+            Online <EuiIcon size="s" color="subdued" type="questionInCircle" />
+          </span>
+        </EuiToolTip>
+      ),
       dataType: 'boolean',
       render: (online) => {
         const color = online ? 'success' : 'danger';
diff --git a/src/components/basic_table/__snapshots__/basic_table.test.js.snap b/src/components/basic_table/__snapshots__/basic_table.test.js.snap
index d016c0be200..b6ab68d5639 100644
--- a/src/components/basic_table/__snapshots__/basic_table.test.js.snap
+++ b/src/components/basic_table/__snapshots__/basic_table.test.js.snap
@@ -721,7 +721,6 @@ exports[`EuiBasicTable footers render with pagination, selection, sorting, and f
         />
         <EuiTableFooterCell
           align="left"
-          header="Name"
           key="footer_name"
         >
           <strong>
@@ -730,14 +729,12 @@ exports[`EuiBasicTable footers render with pagination, selection, sorting, and f
         </EuiTableFooterCell>
         <EuiTableFooterCell
           align="left"
-          header="ID"
           key="footer_id"
         >
           ID
         </EuiTableFooterCell>
         <EuiTableFooterCell
           align="left"
-          header="Age"
           key="footer_age"
         >
           <strong>
diff --git a/src/components/basic_table/basic_table.js b/src/components/basic_table/basic_table.js
index 9d689090f86..7ceb94c4b3d 100644
--- a/src/components/basic_table/basic_table.js
+++ b/src/components/basic_table/basic_table.js
@@ -98,7 +98,7 @@ export const ActionsColumnType = PropTypes.shape({
 
 export const FieldDataColumnTypeShape = {
   field: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
-  name: PropTypes.string.isRequired,
+  name: PropTypes.node.isRequired,
   description: PropTypes.string,
   dataType: PropTypes.oneOf(DATA_TYPES),
   width: PropTypes.string,
@@ -116,7 +116,7 @@ export const FieldDataColumnType = PropTypes.shape(FieldDataColumnTypeShape);
 
 export const ComputedColumnType = PropTypes.shape({
   render: PropTypes.func.isRequired, // (record) => PropTypes.node
-  name: PropTypes.string,
+  name: PropTypes.node,
   description: PropTypes.string,
   width: PropTypes.string,
   truncateText: PropTypes.bool
@@ -554,7 +554,6 @@ export class EuiBasicTable extends Component {
         footers.push(
           <EuiTableFooterCell
             key={`footer_${column.field}`}
-            header={column.name}
             align={column.align}
           >
             {footer}
@@ -566,7 +565,6 @@ export class EuiBasicTable extends Component {
         footers.push(
           <EuiTableFooterCell
             key={`footer_empty_${footers.length - 1}`}
-            header={column.name}
             align={column.align}
           >
             {undefined}
@@ -820,8 +818,8 @@ export class EuiBasicTable extends Component {
       render,
       dataType,
       isExpander,
-      name,
       textOnly,
+      name,
       field, // eslint-disable-line no-unused-vars
       description, // eslint-disable-line no-unused-vars
       sortable, // eslint-disable-line no-unused-vars
diff --git a/src/components/table/mobile/table_sort_mobile.js b/src/components/table/mobile/table_sort_mobile.js
index 8af5e4f3472..cc6a601a5fa 100644
--- a/src/components/table/mobile/table_sort_mobile.js
+++ b/src/components/table/mobile/table_sort_mobile.js
@@ -22,10 +22,6 @@ export class EuiTableSortMobile extends Component {
     };
   }
 
-  shouldComponentUpdate(nextProps, nextState) {
-    return JSON.stringify(nextProps) !== JSON.stringify(this.props) || JSON.stringify(nextState) !== JSON.stringify(this.state);
-  }
-
   onButtonClick = () => {
     this.setState({
       isPopoverOpen: !this.state.isPopoverOpen,