diff --git a/documentation/ref-manual/ref-variables.xml b/documentation/ref-manual/ref-variables.xml
index 708cd900d0..62ceacf7b3 100644
--- a/documentation/ref-manual/ref-variables.xml
+++ b/documentation/ref-manual/ref-variables.xml
@@ -3938,6 +3938,46 @@
                 <para role="glossdeffirst">
 <!--                <para role="glossdeffirst"><imagedata fileref="figures/define-generic.png" /> -->
                     The long name of the distribution.
+                    For information on the short name of the distribution, see
+                    the
+                    <link linkend='var-DISTRO'><filename>DISTRO</filename></link>
+                    variable.
+                </para>
+
+                <para>
+                    The <filename>DISTRO_NAME</filename> variable corresponds
+                    to a distribution configuration file whose root name is the
+                    same as the variable's argument and whose filename
+                    extension is <filename>.conf</filename>.
+                    For example, the distribution configuration file for the
+                    Poky distribution is named <filename>poky.conf</filename>
+                    and resides in the
+                    <filename>meta-poky/conf/distro</filename> directory of
+                    the
+                    <link linkend='source-directory'>Source Directory</link>.
+                </para>
+
+                <para>
+                    Within that <filename>poky.conf</filename> file, the
+                    <filename>DISTRO_NAME</filename> variable is set as
+                    follows:
+                    <literallayout class='monospaced'>
+     DISTRO_NAME = "Poky (Yocto Project Reference Distro)"
+                    </literallayout>
+                </para>
+
+                <para>
+                    Distribution configuration files are located in a
+                    <filename>conf/distro</filename> directory within the
+                    <link linkend='metadata'>Metadata</link>
+                    that contains the distribution configuration.
+                    <note>
+                        If the <filename>DISTRO_NAME</filename> variable is
+                        blank, a set of default configurations are used, which
+                        are specified within
+                        <filename>meta/conf/distro/defaultsetup.conf</filename>
+                        also in the Source Directory.
+                    </note>
                 </para>
             </glossdef>
         </glossentry>