diff --git a/api/all/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/api/baggage/propagation/W3CBaggagePropagator.java b/api/all/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/api/baggage/propagation/W3CBaggagePropagator.java
index 9701214e506..150be6e4fdd 100644
--- a/api/all/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/api/baggage/propagation/W3CBaggagePropagator.java
+++ b/api/all/src/main/java/io/opentelemetry/api/baggage/propagation/W3CBaggagePropagator.java
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ private static boolean baggageIsInvalid(String key, BaggageEntry baggageEntry) {
    * @return whether the name is valid.
    */
   private static boolean isValidBaggageKey(String name) {
-    return name != null && !name.isEmpty() && StringUtils.isPrintableString(name);
+    return name != null && !name.trim().isEmpty() && StringUtils.isPrintableString(name);
   }
 
   /**
diff --git a/api/all/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/api/baggage/propagation/W3CBaggagePropagatorTest.java b/api/all/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/api/baggage/propagation/W3CBaggagePropagatorTest.java
index 3fbf7bf5297..e775ed04f1e 100644
--- a/api/all/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/api/baggage/propagation/W3CBaggagePropagatorTest.java
+++ b/api/all/src/test/java/io/opentelemetry/api/baggage/propagation/W3CBaggagePropagatorTest.java
@@ -448,6 +448,7 @@ void inject() {
             .put("\2ab\3cd", "wacky key nonprintable")
             .put(null, "null key")
             .put("nullvalue", null)
+            .put(" ", "key is only space")
             .build();
     W3CBaggagePropagator propagator = W3CBaggagePropagator.getInstance();
     Map<String, String> carrier = new HashMap<>();