diff --git a/render/render.js b/render/render.js
index 844d766a..e24a76eb 100644
--- a/render/render.js
+++ b/render/render.js
@@ -146,7 +146,7 @@ module.exports = function($window) {
 	//update
 	function updateNodes(parent, old, vnodes, recycling, hooks, nextSibling, ns) {
 		if (old === vnodes || old == null && vnodes == null) return
-		else if (old == null) createNodes(parent, vnodes, 0, vnodes.length, hooks, nextSibling, undefined)
+		else if (old == null) createNodes(parent, vnodes, 0, vnodes.length, hooks, nextSibling, ns)
 		else if (vnodes == null) removeNodes(old, 0, old.length, vnodes)
 		else {
 			if (old.length === vnodes.length) {
@@ -613,12 +613,13 @@ module.exports = function($window) {
 		if (!dom) throw new Error("Ensure the DOM element being passed to m.route/m.mount/m.render is not undefined.")
 		var hooks = []
 		var active = $doc.activeElement
+		var namespace = dom.namespaceURI
 
 		// First time rendering into a node clears it out
 		if (dom.vnodes == null) dom.textContent = ""
 
 		if (!Array.isArray(vnodes)) vnodes = [vnodes]
-		updateNodes(dom, dom.vnodes, Vnode.normalizeChildren(vnodes), false, hooks, null, undefined)
+		updateNodes(dom, dom.vnodes, Vnode.normalizeChildren(vnodes), false, hooks, null, namespace === "http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" ? undefined : namespace)
 		dom.vnodes = vnodes
 		for (var i = 0; i < hooks.length; i++) hooks[i]()
 		if ($doc.activeElement !== active) active.focus()
diff --git a/render/tests/test-render.js b/render/tests/test-render.js
index 5ffecf02..292433a0 100644
--- a/render/tests/test-render.js
+++ b/render/tests/test-render.js
@@ -293,4 +293,10 @@ o.spec("render", function() {
 		o(svg.dom.childNodes[0].namespaceURI).equals("http://www.w3.org/2000/svg")
 		o(svg.dom.childNodes[1].namespaceURI).equals("http://www.w3.org/2000/svg")
 	})
+	o("the namespace of the root is passed to children", function() {
+		render(root, [{tag: "svg"}])
+		o(root.childNodes[0].namespaceURI).equals("http://www.w3.org/2000/svg")
+		render(root.childNodes[0], [{tag: "g"}])
+		o(root.childNodes[0].childNodes[0].namespaceURI).equals("http://www.w3.org/2000/svg")
+	})
 })