diff --git a/core/metacling/src/TClingClassInfo.cxx b/core/metacling/src/TClingClassInfo.cxx
index 434996e2cb5aa..6a703d627cb1a 100644
--- a/core/metacling/src/TClingClassInfo.cxx
+++ b/core/metacling/src/TClingClassInfo.cxx
@@ -99,9 +99,14 @@ TClingClassInfo::TClingClassInfo(cling::Interpreter *interp, const char *name, b
                              &type, intantiateTemplate);
       }
    }
+   // The lookup finds the decl if the name corresponds to a namespace or a fully defined
+   // class; just a type in presence of a forward declaration of a class.
+   // This code identifies that case and prevents that a class type is found if the name
+   // of a constructor is passed (see ROOT-10311).
    if (!decl && type) {
-      if (const auto *TD = type->getAsTagDecl()) {
-         decl = TD;
+      const auto *CXXRD = type->getAsCXXRecordDecl();
+      if (CXXRD && !CXXRD->hasDefinition()) {
+         decl = CXXRD;
       }
    }
    SetDecl(decl);
diff --git a/core/metacling/test/TClingTests.cxx b/core/metacling/test/TClingTests.cxx
index 2a54d12864dd3..ec9833264f82e 100644
--- a/core/metacling/test/TClingTests.cxx
+++ b/core/metacling/test/TClingTests.cxx
@@ -467,4 +467,23 @@ using func0_ret_t = typename ROOT::TypeTraits::CallableTraits<decltype(func0)>::
    auto res = gInterpreter->Declare(expression.c_str());
    EXPECT_TRUE(res);
 }
-#endif
\ No newline at end of file
+#endif
+
+// ROOT-10311
+TEST_F(TClingTests, TClassByCtorName)
+{
+   auto res = gInterpreter->Declare("namespace TClassByCtorName{class Foo;};");
+   EXPECT_TRUE(res);
+   {
+      ROOT::TestSupport::CheckDiagsRAII checkDiag;
+      checkDiag.requiredDiag(kWarning, "TClass::Init", "no dictionary for class TClassByCtorName::Foo is available", false);
+      EXPECT_TRUE(nullptr != TClass::GetClass("TClassByCtorName::Foo"));
+   }
+   const auto *wrongName = "TTree::TTree";
+   EXPECT_TRUE(nullptr == TClass::GetClass(wrongName));
+   EXPECT_TRUE(nullptr != TClass::GetClass("TTree"));
+
+   std::string classInterpreterName;
+   gInterpreter->GetInterpreterTypeName(wrongName, classInterpreterName);
+   EXPECT_STREQ(classInterpreterName.c_str(), "");
+}