diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ldelf.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ldelf.go
index 1aaee1c8e5..6faa4a1918 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ldelf.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ldelf.go
@@ -445,7 +445,7 @@ func ldelf(ctxt *Link, f *bio.Reader, pkg string, length int64, pn string) {
 		ctxt.Logf("%5.2f ldelf %s\n", obj.Cputime(), pn)
 	}
 
-	ctxt.Syms.IncVersion()
+	localSymVersion := ctxt.Syms.IncVersion()
 	base := f.Offset()
 
 	var add uint64
@@ -702,7 +702,7 @@ func ldelf(ctxt *Link, f *bio.Reader, pkg string, length int64, pn string) {
 		}
 
 		name = fmt.Sprintf("%s(%s)", pkg, sect.name)
-		s = ctxt.Syms.Lookup(name, ctxt.Syms.Version)
+		s = ctxt.Syms.Lookup(name, localSymVersion)
 
 		switch int(sect.flags) & (ElfSectFlagAlloc | ElfSectFlagWrite | ElfSectFlagExec) {
 		default:
@@ -741,7 +741,7 @@ func ldelf(ctxt *Link, f *bio.Reader, pkg string, length int64, pn string) {
 	symbols = make([]*Symbol, elfobj.nsymtab)
 
 	for i := 1; i < elfobj.nsymtab; i++ {
-		if err = readelfsym(ctxt, elfobj, i, &sym, 1); err != nil {
+		if err = readelfsym(ctxt, elfobj, i, &sym, 1, localSymVersion); err != nil {
 			goto bad
 		}
 		symbols[i] = sym.sym
@@ -903,7 +903,7 @@ func ldelf(ctxt *Link, f *bio.Reader, pkg string, length int64, pn string) {
 			if info>>32 == 0 { // absolute relocation, don't bother reading the null symbol
 				rp.Sym = nil
 			} else {
-				if err = readelfsym(ctxt, elfobj, int(info>>32), &sym, 0); err != nil {
+				if err = readelfsym(ctxt, elfobj, int(info>>32), &sym, 0, 0); err != nil {
 					goto bad
 				}
 				sym.sym = symbols[info>>32]
@@ -983,7 +983,7 @@ func elfmap(elfobj *ElfObj, sect *ElfSect) (err error) {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func readelfsym(ctxt *Link, elfobj *ElfObj, i int, sym *ElfSym, needSym int) (err error) {
+func readelfsym(ctxt *Link, elfobj *ElfObj, i int, sym *ElfSym, needSym int, localSymVersion int) (err error) {
 	if i >= elfobj.nsymtab || i < 0 {
 		err = fmt.Errorf("invalid elf symbol index")
 		return err
@@ -1059,7 +1059,7 @@ func readelfsym(ctxt *Link, elfobj *ElfObj, i int, sym *ElfSym, needSym int) (er
 				// We need to be able to look this up,
 				// so put it in the hash table.
 				if needSym != 0 {
-					s = ctxt.Syms.Lookup(sym.name, ctxt.Syms.Version)
+					s = ctxt.Syms.Lookup(sym.name, localSymVersion)
 					s.Type |= obj.SHIDDEN
 				}
 
@@ -1070,7 +1070,7 @@ func readelfsym(ctxt *Link, elfobj *ElfObj, i int, sym *ElfSym, needSym int) (er
 				// local names and hidden global names are unique
 				// and should only be referenced by their index, not name, so we
 				// don't bother to add them into the hash table
-				s = ctxt.Syms.newsym(sym.name, ctxt.Syms.Version)
+				s = ctxt.Syms.newsym(sym.name, localSymVersion)
 
 				s.Type |= obj.SHIDDEN
 			}
diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ldmacho.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ldmacho.go
index ab16087440..54812b1808 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ldmacho.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ldmacho.go
@@ -444,7 +444,7 @@ func ldmacho(ctxt *Link, f *bio.Reader, pkg string, length int64, pn string) {
 	var rp *Reloc
 	var name string
 
-	ctxt.Syms.IncVersion()
+	localSymVersion := ctxt.Syms.IncVersion()
 	base := f.Offset()
 	if _, err := io.ReadFull(f, hdr[:]); err != nil {
 		goto bad
@@ -587,7 +587,7 @@ func ldmacho(ctxt *Link, f *bio.Reader, pkg string, length int64, pn string) {
 			continue
 		}
 		name = fmt.Sprintf("%s(%s/%s)", pkg, sect.segname, sect.name)
-		s = ctxt.Syms.Lookup(name, ctxt.Syms.Version)
+		s = ctxt.Syms.Lookup(name, localSymVersion)
 		if s.Type != 0 {
 			err = fmt.Errorf("duplicate %s/%s", sect.segname, sect.name)
 			goto bad
@@ -634,7 +634,7 @@ func ldmacho(ctxt *Link, f *bio.Reader, pkg string, length int64, pn string) {
 		}
 		v := 0
 		if sym.type_&N_EXT == 0 {
-			v = ctxt.Syms.Version
+			v = localSymVersion
 		}
 		s = ctxt.Syms.Lookup(name, v)
 		if sym.type_&N_EXT == 0 {
diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ldpe.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ldpe.go
index a0090a160a..43d33c7b19 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ldpe.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/ldpe.go
@@ -136,7 +136,7 @@ func ldpe(ctxt *Link, f *bio.Reader, pkg string, length int64, pn string) {
 	}
 
 	var sect *PeSect
-	ctxt.Syms.IncVersion()
+	localSymVersion := ctxt.Syms.IncVersion()
 	base := f.Offset()
 
 	peobj := new(PeObj)
@@ -246,7 +246,7 @@ func ldpe(ctxt *Link, f *bio.Reader, pkg string, length int64, pn string) {
 		}
 
 		name = fmt.Sprintf("%s(%s)", pkg, sect.name)
-		s = ctxt.Syms.Lookup(name, ctxt.Syms.Version)
+		s = ctxt.Syms.Lookup(name, localSymVersion)
 
 		switch sect.sh.Characteristics & (IMAGE_SCN_CNT_UNINITIALIZED_DATA | IMAGE_SCN_CNT_INITIALIZED_DATA | IMAGE_SCN_MEM_READ | IMAGE_SCN_MEM_WRITE | IMAGE_SCN_CNT_CODE | IMAGE_SCN_MEM_EXECUTE) {
 		case IMAGE_SCN_CNT_INITIALIZED_DATA | IMAGE_SCN_MEM_READ: //.rdata
@@ -300,7 +300,7 @@ func ldpe(ctxt *Link, f *bio.Reader, pkg string, length int64, pn string) {
 			rva := Le32(symbuf[0:])
 			symindex := Le32(symbuf[4:])
 			type_ := Le16(symbuf[8:])
-			if err = readpesym(ctxt, peobj, int(symindex), &sym); err != nil {
+			if err = readpesym(ctxt, peobj, int(symindex), &sym, localSymVersion); err != nil {
 				goto bad
 			}
 			if sym.sym == nil {
@@ -371,7 +371,7 @@ func ldpe(ctxt *Link, f *bio.Reader, pkg string, length int64, pn string) {
 			}
 		}
 
-		if err = readpesym(ctxt, peobj, i, &sym); err != nil {
+		if err = readpesym(ctxt, peobj, i, &sym, localSymVersion); err != nil {
 			goto bad
 		}
 
@@ -475,7 +475,7 @@ func issect(s *PeSym) bool {
 	return s.sclass == IMAGE_SYM_CLASS_STATIC && s.type_ == 0 && s.name[0] == '.'
 }
 
-func readpesym(ctxt *Link, peobj *PeObj, i int, y **PeSym) (err error) {
+func readpesym(ctxt *Link, peobj *PeObj, i int, y **PeSym, localSymVersion int) (err error) {
 	if uint(i) >= peobj.npesym || i < 0 {
 		err = fmt.Errorf("invalid pe symbol index")
 		return err
@@ -514,7 +514,7 @@ func readpesym(ctxt *Link, peobj *PeObj, i int, y **PeSym) (err error) {
 			s = ctxt.Syms.Lookup(name, 0)
 
 		case IMAGE_SYM_CLASS_NULL, IMAGE_SYM_CLASS_STATIC, IMAGE_SYM_CLASS_LABEL:
-			s = ctxt.Syms.Lookup(name, ctxt.Syms.Version)
+			s = ctxt.Syms.Lookup(name, localSymVersion)
 			s.Attr |= AttrDuplicateOK
 
 		default:
diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/objfile.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/objfile.go
index 0392ebd7cd..6b942083ef 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/objfile.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/objfile.go
@@ -130,16 +130,17 @@ var emptyPkg = []byte(`"".`)
 
 // objReader reads Go object files.
 type objReader struct {
-	rd   *bufio.Reader
-	ctxt *Link
-	pkg  string
-	pn   string
-	// List of symbol references for the file being read.
-	dupSym *Symbol
+	rd              *bufio.Reader
+	ctxt            *Link
+	pkg             string
+	pn              string
+	dupSym          *Symbol
+	localSymVersion int
 
 	// rdBuf is used by readString and readSymName as scratch for reading strings.
 	rdBuf []byte
 
+	// List of symbol references for the file being read.
 	refs        []*Symbol
 	data        []byte
 	reloc       []Reloc
@@ -153,11 +154,12 @@ type objReader struct {
 func LoadObjFile(ctxt *Link, f *bio.Reader, pkg string, length int64, pn string) {
 	start := f.Offset()
 	r := &objReader{
-		rd:     f.Reader,
-		pkg:    pkg,
-		ctxt:   ctxt,
-		pn:     pn,
-		dupSym: &Symbol{Name: ".dup"},
+		rd:              f.Reader,
+		pkg:             pkg,
+		ctxt:            ctxt,
+		pn:              pn,
+		dupSym:          &Symbol{Name: ".dup"},
+		localSymVersion: ctxt.Syms.IncVersion(),
 	}
 	r.loadObjFile()
 	if f.Offset() != start+length {
@@ -166,8 +168,6 @@ func LoadObjFile(ctxt *Link, f *bio.Reader, pkg string, length int64, pn string)
 }
 
 func (r *objReader) loadObjFile() {
-	// Increment context version, versions are used to differentiate static files in different packages
-	r.ctxt.Syms.IncVersion()
 
 	// Magic header
 	var buf [8]uint8
@@ -452,7 +452,7 @@ func (r *objReader) readRef() {
 		log.Fatalf("invalid symbol version %d", v)
 	}
 	if v == 1 {
-		v = r.ctxt.Syms.Version
+		v = r.localSymVersion
 	}
 	s := r.ctxt.Syms.Lookup(name, v)
 	r.refs = append(r.refs, s)
diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/symbols.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/symbols.go
index d190a8c1ca..154507ddd7 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/symbols.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/symbols.go
@@ -37,8 +37,6 @@ type Symbols struct {
 	hash []map[string]*Symbol
 
 	Allsym []*Symbol
-
-	Version int
 }
 
 func (syms *Symbols) newsym(name string, v int) *Symbol {
@@ -80,11 +78,7 @@ func (syms *Symbols) ROLookup(name string, v int) *Symbol {
 }
 
 // Allocate a new version (i.e. symbol namespace).
-//
-// TODO(mwhudson): This would feel more natural if it returned the new
-// version (or if we dropped Symbols.Version entirely and just
-// returned len(syms.hash))
-func (syms *Symbols) IncVersion() {
-	syms.Version++
+func (syms *Symbols) IncVersion() int {
 	syms.hash = append(syms.hash, make(map[string]*Symbol))
+	return len(syms.hash) - 1
 }