diff --git a/AUTHORS b/AUTHORS
index 8b6f6544cd..b8c773b602 100644
--- a/AUTHORS
+++ b/AUTHORS
@@ -128,7 +128,7 @@ answer newbie questions, and generally made Django that much better:
     Robert Coup
     Pete Crosier <pete.crosier@gmail.com>
     Matt Croydon <http://www.postneo.com/>
-    Leah Culver <leah@pownce.com>
+    Leah Culver <leah.culver@gmail.com>
     flavio.curella@gmail.com
     Jure Cuhalev <gandalf@owca.info>
     John D'Agostino <john.dagostino@gmail.com>
diff --git a/django/db/models/base.py b/django/db/models/base.py
index 9cf083416c..e75eb49695 100644
--- a/django/db/models/base.py
+++ b/django/db/models/base.py
@@ -782,9 +782,10 @@ class Model(object):
         # A unique field
         if len(unique_check) == 1:
             field_name = unique_check[0]
-            field_label = capfirst(opts.get_field(field_name).verbose_name)
+            field = opts.get_field(field_name)
+            field_label = capfirst(field.verbose_name)
             # Insert the error into the error dict, very sneaky
-            return _(u"%(model_name)s with this %(field_label)s already exists.") %  {
+            return field.error_messages['unique'] %  {
                 'model_name': unicode(model_name),
                 'field_label': unicode(field_label)
             }
diff --git a/django/db/models/fields/__init__.py b/django/db/models/fields/__init__.py
index 9037265e8b..63d0c21bc1 100644
--- a/django/db/models/fields/__init__.py
+++ b/django/db/models/fields/__init__.py
@@ -60,6 +60,7 @@ class Field(object):
         'invalid_choice': _(u'Value %r is not a valid choice.'),
         'null': _(u'This field cannot be null.'),
         'blank': _(u'This field cannot be blank.'),
+        'unique': _(u'%(model_name)s with this %(field_label)s already exists.'),
     }
 
     # Generic field type description, usually overriden by subclasses
diff --git a/docs/ref/models/fields.txt b/docs/ref/models/fields.txt
index bc27a48bc1..5c4bbd06bc 100644
--- a/docs/ref/models/fields.txt
+++ b/docs/ref/models/fields.txt
@@ -210,6 +210,10 @@ The ``error_messages`` argument lets you override the default messages that the
 field will raise. Pass in a dictionary with keys matching the error messages you
 want to override.
 
+Error message keys include ``null``, ``blank``, ``invalid``, ``invalid_choice``,
+and ``unique``. Additional error message keys are specified for each field in
+the `Field types`_ section below.
+
 ``help_text``
 -------------
 
@@ -416,7 +420,8 @@ optional arguments:
     it's not just a default value that you can override.
 
 The admin represents this as an ``<input type="text">`` with a JavaScript
-calendar, and a shortcut for "Today".
+calendar, and a shortcut for "Today". Includes an additional ``invalid_date``
+error message key.
 
 .. note::
     As currently implemented, setting ``auto_now`` or ``auto_now_add`` to
diff --git a/tests/modeltests/validation/models.py b/tests/modeltests/validation/models.py
index 861d1440fe..923e5a88c5 100644
--- a/tests/modeltests/validation/models.py
+++ b/tests/modeltests/validation/models.py
@@ -78,3 +78,7 @@ class FlexibleDatePost(models.Model):
     slug = models.CharField(max_length=50, unique_for_year='posted', blank=True)
     subtitle = models.CharField(max_length=50, unique_for_month='posted', blank=True)
     posted = models.DateField(blank=True, null=True)
+
+class UniqueErrorsModel(models.Model):
+    name = models.CharField(max_length=100, unique=True, error_messages={'unique': u'Custom unique name message.'})
+    number = models.IntegerField(unique=True, error_messages={'unique': u'Custom unique number message.'})
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/modeltests/validation/test_unique.py b/tests/modeltests/validation/test_unique.py
index 223aa021e4..90616126a5 100644
--- a/tests/modeltests/validation/test_unique.py
+++ b/tests/modeltests/validation/test_unique.py
@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ from django.test import TestCase
 from django.utils import unittest
 
 from models import (CustomPKModel, UniqueTogetherModel, UniqueFieldsModel,
-    UniqueForDateModel, ModelToValidate, Post, FlexibleDatePost)
+    UniqueForDateModel, ModelToValidate, Post, FlexibleDatePost, UniqueErrorsModel)
 
 
 class GetUniqueCheckTests(unittest.TestCase):
@@ -149,3 +149,22 @@ class PerformUniqueChecksTest(TestCase):
             self.fail("unique_for_month checks shouldn't trigger when the associated DateField is None.")
         except:
             self.fail("unique_for_month checks shouldn't explode when the associated DateField is None.")
+
+    def test_unique_errors(self):
+        m1 = UniqueErrorsModel.objects.create(name='Some Name', number=10)
+        m = UniqueErrorsModel(name='Some Name', number=11)
+        try:
+            m.full_clean()
+        except ValidationError, e:
+            self.assertEqual(e.message_dict, {'name': [u'Custom unique name message.']})
+        except:
+            self.fail('unique checks should catch this.')
+
+        m = UniqueErrorsModel(name='Some Other Name', number=10)
+        try:
+            m.full_clean()
+        except ValidationError, e:
+            self.assertEqual(e.message_dict, {'number': [u'Custom unique number message.']})
+        except:
+            self.fail('unique checks should catch this.')
+            
\ No newline at end of file