diff --git a/src/components/dialog/dialog.js b/src/components/dialog/dialog.js
index c5582f4e82b..14af4759e94 100644
--- a/src/components/dialog/dialog.js
+++ b/src/components/dialog/dialog.js
@@ -463,7 +463,6 @@ function MdDialogProvider($$interimElementProvider) {
      * Show method for dialogs
      */
     function onShow(scope, element, options, controller) {
-      element = $mdUtil.extractElementByName(element, 'md-dialog');
       angular.element($document[0].body).addClass('md-dialog-is-showing');
 
       wrapSimpleContent();
@@ -549,8 +548,11 @@ function MdDialogProvider($$interimElementProvider) {
      * unless overridden in the options.parent
      */
     function captureSourceAndParent(element, options) {
-      var origin = {element: null, bounds: null, focus: angular.noop};
-      options.origin = angular.extend({}, origin, options.origin || {});
+      options.origin = angular.extend({
+        element: null,
+        bounds: null,
+        focus: angular.noop
+      }, options.origin || {});
 
       var source = angular.element((options.targetEvent || {}).target);
       if (source && source.length) {
@@ -564,7 +566,14 @@ function MdDialogProvider($$interimElementProvider) {
         }
       }
 
-      // In case the user provides a raw dom element, always wrap it in jqLite
+      // If the parent specifier is a simple string selector, then query for
+      // the DOM element.
+      if ( angular.isString(options.parent) ) {
+        var simpleSelector = options.parent;
+            container = $document[0].querySelectorAll(selector);
+        options.parent = container.length ? container[0] : null;
+      }
+      // If we have a reference to a raw dom element, always wrap it in jqLite
       options.parent = angular.element(options.parent || $rootElement);
 
     }