diff --git a/fortran/grib_fortran.c b/fortran/grib_fortran.c
index 145cdfb91..adf7e8d36 100644
--- a/fortran/grib_fortran.c
+++ b/fortran/grib_fortran.c
@@ -1047,7 +1047,7 @@ int grib_f_open_file_(int* fid, char* name , char* op, int lname, int lop) {
     while (*p != '\0') { *p=tolower(*p);p++;}
 
     trimmed = cast_char_no_cut(fname,name,lname); /* ECC-1392 */
-    rtrim( trimmed );
+    string_rtrim( trimmed );
     f = fopen(trimmed, oper);
     if(!f) {
         ioerr=errno;
@@ -2891,7 +2891,7 @@ int grib_f_index_select_string_(int* gid, char* key, char* val, int len, int val
 
     /* ECC-1316 */
     cast_char_no_cut(bufval,val,vallen);
-    rtrim( bufval );
+    string_rtrim( bufval );
 
     return grib_index_select_string(h, cast_char(buf,key,len), bufval);
 }
@@ -3257,7 +3257,7 @@ int grib_f_set_string_array_(int* gid, char* key, char* val,int* nvals,int* slen
     for (i=0;i<lsize;i++) {
         cval[i]=(char*)grib_context_malloc_clear(c,sizeof(char)* (*slen+1));
         cast_char_no_cut(cval[i],p,*slen);
-        rtrim( cval[i] ); /* trim spaces at end of string */
+        string_rtrim( cval[i] ); /* trim spaces at end of string */
         p+= *slen;
     }
     err = grib_set_string_array(h, cast_char(buf,key,len), (const char **)cval, lsize);
@@ -3327,7 +3327,7 @@ int grib_f_set_string_(int* gid, char* key, char* val, int len, int len2){
     /* So do not use cast_char. cast_char_no_cut does not stop at first space */
     val_str = cast_char_no_cut(buf2,val,len2);
     if (val_str && !is_all_spaces(val_str)) {
-        rtrim( val_str ); /* trim spaces at end of string */
+        string_rtrim( val_str ); /* trim spaces at end of string */
     }
 
     return grib_set_string(h, cast_char(buf,key,len), val_str, &lsize);
diff --git a/src/bufr_util.c b/src/bufr_util.c
index 87e86a6b5..7bd7a8612 100644
--- a/src/bufr_util.c
+++ b/src/bufr_util.c
@@ -282,7 +282,7 @@ static int bufr_decode_extra_rdb_keys(const void* message, long offset_section2,
         }
         temp[i] = '\0';
         pTemp = temp;
-        lrtrim(&pTemp, 1, 1); /* Trim left and right */
+        string_lrtrim(&pTemp, 1, 1); /* Trim left and right */
         strncpy(hdr->ident, pTemp, IDENT_LEN - 1);
     }
 
diff --git a/src/eccodes_prototypes.h b/src/eccodes_prototypes.h
index 4acbbcb0f..4844843bc 100644
--- a/src/eccodes_prototypes.h
+++ b/src/eccodes_prototypes.h
@@ -1457,13 +1457,13 @@ int codes_bufr_key_is_header(const grib_handle* h, const char* key, int* err);
 
 /* string_util.c */
 int strcmp_nocase(const char* s1, const char* s2);
-void rtrim(char* s);
-void lrtrim(char** x, int do_left, int do_right);
+void string_rtrim(char* s);
+void string_lrtrim(char** x, int do_left, int do_right);
 const char* extract_filename(const char* filepath);
 char** string_split(char* inputString, const char* delimiter);
 int string_to_long(const char* input, long* output);
 int string_ends_with(const char* str1, const char* str2);
-int count_char_in_string(const char* str, char c);
+int string_count_char(const char* str, char c);
 const char* codes_get_product_name(ProductKind product);
 const char* grib_get_type_name(int type);
 char* string_replace_char(char *str, char oldc, char newc);
diff --git a/src/grib_accessor_class_codetable.c b/src/grib_accessor_class_codetable.c
index 7c33c898e..245b0156d 100644
--- a/src/grib_accessor_class_codetable.c
+++ b/src/grib_accessor_class_codetable.c
@@ -506,7 +506,7 @@ static int grib_load_codetable(grib_context* c, const char* filename,
 
         Assert(*abbreviation);
         Assert(*title);
-        rtrim(title); /* ECC-1315 */
+        string_rtrim(title); /* ECC-1315 */
 
         if (t->entries[code].abbreviation != NULL) {
             grib_context_log(c, GRIB_LOG_WARNING, "code_table_entry: duplicate code in %s: %d (table size=%ld)", filename, code, size);
diff --git a/src/grib_accessor_class_trim.c b/src/grib_accessor_class_trim.c
index 646547836..07f5252c8 100644
--- a/src/grib_accessor_class_trim.c
+++ b/src/grib_accessor_class_trim.c
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ static int unpack_string(grib_accessor* a, char* val, size_t* len)
     err = grib_get_string(h, self->input, input, &size);
     if (err) return err;
 
-    lrtrim(&pInput, self->trim_left, self->trim_right);
+    string_lrtrim(&pInput, self->trim_left, self->trim_right);
     sprintf(val, "%s", pInput); 
     size = strlen(val);
     *len = size + 1;
@@ -189,7 +189,7 @@ static int pack_string(grib_accessor* a, const char* val, size_t* len)
 
     sprintf(buf, "%s", val);
     pBuf = buf;
-    lrtrim(&pBuf, self->trim_left, self->trim_right);
+    string_lrtrim(&pBuf, self->trim_left, self->trim_right);
 
     return grib_pack_string(inputAccesstor, pBuf, len);
 }
diff --git a/src/string_util.c b/src/string_util.c
index b2262fde8..f42845ff9 100644
--- a/src/string_util.c
+++ b/src/string_util.c
@@ -27,7 +27,7 @@ int strcmp_nocase(const char* s1, const char* s2)
 }
 
 /* Strip whitespace from the end of a string */
-void rtrim(char* s)
+void string_rtrim(char* s)
 {
     size_t len = 0;
     if (!s)
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ void rtrim(char* s)
     s[len] = '\0';
 }
 
-void lrtrim(char** x, int do_left, int do_right)
+void string_lrtrim(char** x, int do_left, int do_right)
 {
     DebugAssert(do_left || do_right);
     if (do_left) {
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ int string_ends_with(const char* s, const char* suffix)
     return 0;
 }
 
-int count_char_in_string(const char* str, char c)
+int string_count_char(const char* str, char c)
 {
     int i = 0, count = 0;
     DebugAssert(str);
diff --git a/tests/unit_tests.c b/tests/unit_tests.c
index 79ef61793..7d15a9437 100644
--- a/tests/unit_tests.c
+++ b/tests/unit_tests.c
@@ -1511,19 +1511,19 @@ static void test_trimming()
 
     printf("Testing: test_trimming...\n");
 
-    lrtrim(&pA, 0, 1); /*right only*/
+    string_lrtrim(&pA, 0, 1); /*right only*/
     assert( strcmp(pA, " Standing")==0 );
 
-    lrtrim(&pB, 1, 0); /*left only*/
+    string_lrtrim(&pB, 1, 0); /*left only*/
     assert( strcmp(pB, "Weeping ")==0 );
 
-    lrtrim(&pC, 1, 1); /*both ends*/
+    string_lrtrim(&pC, 1, 1); /*both ends*/
     assert( strcmp(pC, "Silhouette")==0 );
 
-    lrtrim(&pD, 1, 1); /*make sure other spaces are not removed*/
+    string_lrtrim(&pD, 1, 1); /*make sure other spaces are not removed*/
     assert( strcmp(pD, "The Forest Of October")==0 );
 
-    lrtrim(&pE, 1, 1); /* Other chars */
+    string_lrtrim(&pE, 1, 1); /* Other chars */
     assert( strcmp(pE, "Apostle In Triumph")==0 );
 }
 
diff --git a/tools/grib_get_data.c b/tools/grib_get_data.c
index 69f409649..b5aadd581 100644
--- a/tools/grib_get_data.c
+++ b/tools/grib_get_data.c
@@ -135,7 +135,7 @@ int grib_tool_new_handle_action(grib_runtime_options* options, grib_handle* h)
     if (grib_options_on("L:")) {
         /* Do a very basic sanity check */
         const char* str = grib_options_get_option("L:");
-        if (count_char_in_string(str, '%') != 2) {
+        if (string_count_char(str, '%') != 2) {
             fprintf(stderr, "ERROR: Invalid lats/lons format option \"%s\".\nThe default is: \"%s\"\n",
                     str, default_format_latlons);
             exit(1);