diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/metamodel/internal/Binder.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/metamodel/internal/Binder.java
index 9222d24366..bf6d47bcd1 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/metamodel/internal/Binder.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/metamodel/internal/Binder.java
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@
  */
 package org.hibernate.metamodel.internal;
 
+import static org.hibernate.engine.spi.SyntheticAttributeHelper.SYNTHETIC_COMPOSITE_ID_ATTRIBUTE_NAME;
+
 import java.util.ArrayList;
 import java.util.Comparator;
 import java.util.HashMap;
@@ -37,6 +39,7 @@ import java.util.Set;
 import org.hibernate.AssertionFailure;
 import org.hibernate.EntityMode;
 import org.hibernate.FetchMode;
+import org.hibernate.MappingException;
 import org.hibernate.MultiTenancyStrategy;
 import org.hibernate.boot.registry.classloading.spi.ClassLoaderService;
 import org.hibernate.cfg.AvailableSettings;
@@ -163,8 +166,6 @@ import org.hibernate.tuple.entity.EntityTuplizer;
 import org.hibernate.type.ForeignKeyDirection;
 import org.hibernate.type.Type;
 
-import static org.hibernate.engine.spi.SyntheticAttributeHelper.SYNTHETIC_COMPOSITE_ID_ATTRIBUTE_NAME;
-
 /**
  * The common binder shared between annotations and {@code hbm.xml} processing.
  *
@@ -1119,28 +1120,23 @@ public class Binder implements HelperContext {
 				final EntityBinding entityBinding = bindingContextContext.getEntityBinding();
 				final EntitySource entitySource = bindingContextContext.getEntitySource();
 					for ( final ConstraintSource constraintSource : entitySource.getConstraints() ) {
-						if ( UniqueConstraintSource.class.isInstance( constraintSource ) ) {
-							final UniqueConstraintSource uniqueConstraintSource = (UniqueConstraintSource) constraintSource;
-
-							final TableSpecification table = findConstraintTable( entityBinding, constraintSource.getTableName() );
-
-							final List<Column> columns = new ArrayList<Column>();
-							for ( final String columnName : uniqueConstraintSource.columnNames() ) {
-								columns.add( tableHelper.locateOrCreateColumn( table, columnName,
-										new ColumnNamingStrategyHelper( null, false ) ) );
+						final TableSpecification table = findConstraintTable( entityBinding, constraintSource.getTableName() );
+						final List<Column> columns = new ArrayList<Column>();
+						for ( final String columnName : constraintSource.columnNames() ) {
+							final Column column = tableHelper.locateColumn( table, columnName,
+									new ColumnNamingStrategyHelper( null, false ) );
+							if (column == null) {
+								throw new MappingException( "While creating a constraint, could not find column "
+										+ columnName + " on table "+ table.getLogicalName().getText() );
 							}
+							columns.add( column );
+						}
+						
+						if ( UniqueConstraintSource.class.isInstance( constraintSource ) ) {
 							tableHelper.createUniqueKey( table, columns, constraintSource.name() );
 						}
 						else if ( IndexConstraintSource.class.isInstance( constraintSource ) ) {
 							final IndexConstraintSource indexConstraintSource = (IndexConstraintSource) constraintSource;
-
-							final TableSpecification table = findConstraintTable( entityBinding, constraintSource.getTableName() );
-
-							final List<Column> columns = new ArrayList<Column>();
-							for ( final String columnName : indexConstraintSource.columnNames() ) {
-								columns.add( tableHelper.locateOrCreateColumn( table, columnName,
-										new ColumnNamingStrategyHelper( null, false ) ) );
-							}
 							tableHelper.createIndex( table, columns, indexConstraintSource.name(),
 									indexConstraintSource.isUnique() );
 						}
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/metamodel/internal/ConstraintNamingStrategyHelper.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/metamodel/internal/ConstraintNamingStrategyHelper.java
index 9683d7731d..0513c778cc 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/metamodel/internal/ConstraintNamingStrategyHelper.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/metamodel/internal/ConstraintNamingStrategyHelper.java
@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@
 package org.hibernate.metamodel.internal;
 
 import java.util.ArrayList;
-import java.util.Collections;
 import java.util.List;
 
 import org.hibernate.cfg.NamingStrategy;
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/metamodel/internal/TableHelper.java b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/metamodel/internal/TableHelper.java
index b2788b82ba..58379e5054 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/metamodel/internal/TableHelper.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/main/java/org/hibernate/metamodel/internal/TableHelper.java
@@ -149,6 +149,22 @@ public class TableHelper {
 		return table.locateOrCreateColumn( resolvedColumnName );
 	}
 
+	public Column locateColumn(
+			final TableSpecification table,
+			final String columnName,
+			final ObjectNameNormalizer.NamingStrategyHelper namingStrategyHelper) {
+		if ( columnName == null && namingStrategyHelper == null ) {
+			throw bindingContext().makeMappingException(
+					"Cannot resolve name for column because no name was specified and namingStrategyHelper is null."
+			);
+		}
+		final String resolvedColumnName = normalizeDatabaseIdentifier(
+				columnName,
+				namingStrategyHelper
+		);
+		return table.locateColumn( resolvedColumnName );
+	}
+
 	public Column locateOrCreateColumn(
 			final TableSpecification table,
 			final ColumnSource columnSource,
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/test/annotations/backquotes/Bug.java b/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/test/annotations/backquotes/Bug.java
index 8f87065b0a..fbc21ae126 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/test/annotations/backquotes/Bug.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/test/annotations/backquotes/Bug.java
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import javax.persistence.ManyToMany;
 import javax.persistence.Table;
 
 @Entity
-@Table(indexes = @Index(name="`titleindex`", columnList = "title"))
+@Table(indexes = @Index(name="`titleindex`", columnList = "`title`"))
 public class Bug 
 {
 	@Id
diff --git a/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/test/annotations/uniqueconstraint/UniqueConstraintValidationTest.java b/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/test/annotations/uniqueconstraint/UniqueConstraintValidationTest.java
index 35e0d9f02f..7cddc9283a 100644
--- a/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/test/annotations/uniqueconstraint/UniqueConstraintValidationTest.java
+++ b/hibernate-core/src/test/java/org/hibernate/test/annotations/uniqueconstraint/UniqueConstraintValidationTest.java
@@ -7,11 +7,10 @@ import javax.persistence.Id;
 import javax.persistence.Table;
 import javax.persistence.UniqueConstraint;
 
-import org.hibernate.AnnotationException;
+import org.hibernate.MappingException;
 import org.hibernate.boot.registry.StandardServiceRegistryBuilder;
 import org.hibernate.cfg.Configuration;
 import org.hibernate.service.spi.ServiceRegistryImplementor;
-import org.hibernate.testing.FailureExpectedWithNewMetamodel;
 import org.hibernate.testing.TestForIssue;
 import org.hibernate.testing.junit4.BaseUnitTestCase;
 import org.junit.Test;
@@ -22,9 +21,8 @@ import org.junit.Test;
  */
 public class UniqueConstraintValidationTest extends BaseUnitTestCase {
 
-	@Test(expected = AnnotationException.class)
+	@Test(expected = MappingException.class)
 	@TestForIssue(jiraKey = "HHH-4084")
-	@FailureExpectedWithNewMetamodel
 	public void testUniqueConstraintWithEmptyColumnName() {
 		buildSessionFactory(EmptyColumnNameEntity.class);
 	}
@@ -34,8 +32,7 @@ public class UniqueConstraintValidationTest extends BaseUnitTestCase {
 		buildSessionFactory(EmptyColumnNameListEntity.class);
 	}
 
-	@Test(expected = AnnotationException.class)
-	@FailureExpectedWithNewMetamodel
+	@Test(expected = MappingException.class)
 	public void testUniqueConstraintWithNotExistsColumnName() {
 		buildSessionFactory(NotExistsColumnEntity.class);
 	}