diff --git a/django/db/backends/creation.py b/django/db/backends/creation.py
index a5217f1175..7da44f8c32 100644
--- a/django/db/backends/creation.py
+++ b/django/db/backends/creation.py
@@ -468,3 +468,17 @@ class BaseDatabaseCreation(object):
     def sql_table_creation_suffix(self):
         "SQL to append to the end of the test table creation statements"
         return ''
+
+    def test_db_signature(self):
+        """
+        Returns a tuple with elements of self.connection.settings_dict (a
+        DATABASES setting value) that uniquely identify a database
+        accordingly to the RDBMS particularities.
+        """
+        settings_dict = self.connection.settings_dict
+        return (
+            settings_dict['HOST'],
+            settings_dict['PORT'],
+            settings_dict['ENGINE'],
+            settings_dict['NAME']
+        )
diff --git a/django/db/backends/oracle/creation.py b/django/db/backends/oracle/creation.py
index 940af15d06..fd02ca07ba 100644
--- a/django/db/backends/oracle/creation.py
+++ b/django/db/backends/oracle/creation.py
@@ -114,6 +114,16 @@ class DatabaseCreation(BaseDatabaseCreation):
 
         return self.connection.settings_dict['NAME']
 
+    def test_db_signature(self):
+        settings_dict = self.connection.settings_dict
+        return (
+            settings_dict['HOST'],
+            settings_dict['PORT'],
+            settings_dict['ENGINE'],
+            settings_dict['NAME'],
+            settings_dict['TEST_USER'],
+        )
+
     def _destroy_test_db(self, test_database_name, verbosity=1):
         """
         Destroy a test database, prompting the user for confirmation if the
diff --git a/django/test/simple.py b/django/test/simple.py
index 8f08fd0692..7d9332ef57 100644
--- a/django/test/simple.py
+++ b/django/test/simple.py
@@ -240,7 +240,7 @@ def dependency_ordered(test_databases, dependencies):
         deferred = []
 
         while test_databases:
-            signature, aliases = test_databases.pop()
+            signature, (db_name, aliases) = test_databases.pop()
             dependencies_satisfied = True
             for alias in aliases:
                 if alias in dependencies:
@@ -254,10 +254,10 @@ def dependency_ordered(test_databases, dependencies):
                     resolved_databases.add(alias)
 
             if dependencies_satisfied:
-                ordered_test_databases.append((signature, aliases))
+                ordered_test_databases.append((signature, (db_name, aliases)))
                 changed = True
             else:
-                deferred.append((signature, aliases))
+                deferred.append((signature, (db_name, aliases)))
 
         if not changed:
             raise ImproperlyConfigured("Circular dependency in TEST_DEPENDENCIES")
@@ -309,26 +309,25 @@ class DjangoTestSuiteRunner(object):
                 # the alias.
                 mirrored_aliases[alias] = connection.settings_dict['TEST_MIRROR']
             else:
-                # Store the (engine, name) pair. If we have two aliases
-                # with the same pair, we only need to create the test database
-                # once.
-                test_databases.setdefault((
-                        connection.settings_dict['HOST'],
-                        connection.settings_dict['PORT'],
-                        connection.settings_dict['ENGINE'],
-                        connection.settings_dict['NAME'],
-                    ), []).append(alias)
+                # Store a tuple with DB parameters that uniquely identify it.
+                # If we have two aliases with the same values for that tuple,
+                # we only need to create the test database once.
+                item = test_databases.setdefault(
+                    connection.creation.test_db_signature(),
+                    (connection.settings_dict['NAME'], [])
+                )
+                item[1].append(alias)
 
                 if 'TEST_DEPENDENCIES' in connection.settings_dict:
                     dependencies[alias] = connection.settings_dict['TEST_DEPENDENCIES']
                 else:
-                    if alias != 'default':
-                        dependencies[alias] = connection.settings_dict.get('TEST_DEPENDENCIES', ['default'])
+                    if alias != DEFAULT_DB_ALIAS:
+                        dependencies[alias] = connection.settings_dict.get('TEST_DEPENDENCIES', [DEFAULT_DB_ALIAS])
 
         # Second pass -- actually create the databases.
         old_names = []
         mirrors = []
-        for (host, port, engine, db_name), aliases in dependency_ordered(test_databases.items(), dependencies):
+        for signature, (db_name, aliases) in dependency_ordered(test_databases.items(), dependencies):
             # Actually create the database for the first connection
             connection = connections[aliases[0]]
             old_names.append((connection, db_name, True))
diff --git a/tests/regressiontests/test_runner/tests.py b/tests/regressiontests/test_runner/tests.py
index 3387d659df..203ed1ebd3 100644
--- a/tests/regressiontests/test_runner/tests.py
+++ b/tests/regressiontests/test_runner/tests.py
@@ -3,7 +3,6 @@ Tests for django test runner
 """
 import StringIO
 import unittest
-import django
 from django.core.exceptions import ImproperlyConfigured
 from django.test import simple
 
@@ -33,9 +32,9 @@ class DependencyOrderingTests(unittest.TestCase):
 
     def test_simple_dependencies(self):
         raw = [
-            ('s1', ['alpha']),
-            ('s2', ['bravo']),
-            ('s3', ['charlie']),
+            ('s1', ('s1_db', ['alpha'])),
+            ('s2', ('s2_db', ['bravo'])),
+            ('s3', ('s3_db', ['charlie'])),
         ]
         dependencies = {
             'alpha': ['charlie'],
@@ -43,7 +42,7 @@ class DependencyOrderingTests(unittest.TestCase):
         }
 
         ordered = simple.dependency_ordered(raw, dependencies=dependencies)
-        ordered_sigs = [sig for sig,aliases in ordered]
+        ordered_sigs = [sig for sig,value in ordered]
 
         self.assertTrue('s1' in ordered_sigs)
         self.assertTrue('s2' in ordered_sigs)
@@ -53,9 +52,9 @@ class DependencyOrderingTests(unittest.TestCase):
 
     def test_chained_dependencies(self):
         raw = [
-            ('s1', ['alpha']),
-            ('s2', ['bravo']),
-            ('s3', ['charlie']),
+            ('s1', ('s1_db', ['alpha'])),
+            ('s2', ('s2_db', ['bravo'])),
+            ('s3', ('s3_db', ['charlie'])),
         ]
         dependencies = {
             'alpha': ['bravo'],
@@ -63,7 +62,7 @@ class DependencyOrderingTests(unittest.TestCase):
         }
 
         ordered = simple.dependency_ordered(raw, dependencies=dependencies)
-        ordered_sigs = [sig for sig,aliases in ordered]
+        ordered_sigs = [sig for sig,value in ordered]
 
         self.assertTrue('s1' in ordered_sigs)
         self.assertTrue('s2' in ordered_sigs)
@@ -78,10 +77,10 @@ class DependencyOrderingTests(unittest.TestCase):
 
     def test_multiple_dependencies(self):
         raw = [
-            ('s1', ['alpha']),
-            ('s2', ['bravo']),
-            ('s3', ['charlie']),
-            ('s4', ['delta']),
+            ('s1', ('s1_db', ['alpha'])),
+            ('s2', ('s2_db', ['bravo'])),
+            ('s3', ('s3_db', ['charlie'])),
+            ('s4', ('s4_db', ['delta'])),
         ]
         dependencies = {
             'alpha': ['bravo','delta'],
@@ -108,8 +107,8 @@ class DependencyOrderingTests(unittest.TestCase):
 
     def test_circular_dependencies(self):
         raw = [
-            ('s1', ['alpha']),
-            ('s2', ['bravo']),
+            ('s1', ('s1_db', ['alpha'])),
+            ('s2', ('s2_db', ['bravo'])),
         ]
         dependencies = {
             'bravo': ['alpha'],