diff --git a/Lib/test/test_scope.py b/Lib/test/test_scope.py
index ef56b88..5f8768a 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_scope.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_scope.py
@@ -693,6 +693,14 @@
         h = g()
         self.assertEqual(h(), 3)
 
+    def testTopIsNotSignificant(self):
+        # See #9997.
+        def top(a):
+            pass
+        def b():
+            global a
+
+
 
 def test_main():
     run_unittest(ScopeTests)
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
index bd9822b..95db8ed 100644
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -13,6 +13,9 @@
 - Issue #10006: type.__abstractmethods__ now raises an AttributeError.  As a
   result metaclasses can now be ABCs (see #9533).
 
+- Issue #9997: Don't let the name "top" have special significance in scope
+  resolution.
+
 - Issue #9930: Remove bogus subtype check that was causing (e.g.)
   float.__rdiv__(2.0, 3) to return NotImplemented instead of the
   expected 1.5.
diff --git a/Python/symtable.c b/Python/symtable.c
index 0cbde7d..ab52abf 100644
--- a/Python/symtable.c
+++ b/Python/symtable.c
@@ -923,7 +923,7 @@
     st->st_cur = ste_new(st, name, block, ast, lineno);
     if (st->st_cur == NULL)
         return 0;
-    if (name == GET_IDENTIFIER(top))
+    if (block == ModuleBlock)
         st->st_global = st->st_cur->ste_symbols;
     if (prev) {
         if (PyList_Append(prev->ste_children,