diff --git a/src/pulsecore/card.c b/src/pulsecore/card.c
index c8b97b746..bb21d0f14 100644
--- a/src/pulsecore/card.c
+++ b/src/pulsecore/card.c
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@ pa_card_profile *pa_card_profile_new(const char *name, const char *description,
 void pa_card_profile_free(pa_card_profile *c) {
     pa_assert(c);
 
+    pa_xfree(c->input_name);
+    pa_xfree(c->output_name);
     pa_xfree(c->name);
     pa_xfree(c->description);
     pa_xfree(c);
diff --git a/src/pulsecore/card.h b/src/pulsecore/card.h
index 3e2c00423..a72c8c254 100644
--- a/src/pulsecore/card.h
+++ b/src/pulsecore/card.h
@@ -40,6 +40,14 @@ typedef struct pa_card_profile {
     char *name;
     char *description;
 
+    /* Identifiers for the profile's input and output parts, i e, if two different profiles
+       have the same input_name string, they have the same source(s).
+       Same for output_name and sink(s).
+       Can be NULL (and in case of an input- or output- only profile, the other direction
+       will be NULL). */
+    char *input_name;
+    char *output_name;
+
     unsigned priority;
     pa_available_t available; /* PA_AVAILABLE_UNKNOWN, PA_AVAILABLE_NO or PA_AVAILABLE_YES */