diff --git a/src/jdk.compiler/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/parser/JavacParser.java b/src/jdk.compiler/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/parser/JavacParser.java
index 0518adc134e..567a0303fd5 100644
--- a/src/jdk.compiler/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/parser/JavacParser.java
+++ b/src/jdk.compiler/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/parser/JavacParser.java
@@ -3925,29 +3925,23 @@ public class JavacParser implements Parser {
         } else {
             int pos = token.pos;
             List<JCTree> errs;
-            if (token.kind == IDENTIFIER && token.name() == names.record) {
-                checkSourceLevel(Feature.RECORDS);
-                JCErroneous erroneousTree = syntaxError(token.pos, List.of(mods), Errors.RecordHeaderExpected);
-                return toP(F.Exec(erroneousTree));
+            if (LAX_IDENTIFIER.test(token.kind)) {
+                errs = List.of(mods, toP(F.at(pos).Ident(ident())));
+                setErrorEndPos(token.pos);
             } else {
-                if (LAX_IDENTIFIER.test(token.kind)) {
-                    errs = List.of(mods, toP(F.at(pos).Ident(ident())));
-                    setErrorEndPos(token.pos);
-                } else {
-                    errs = List.of(mods);
-                }
-                final JCErroneous erroneousTree;
-                if (parseModuleInfo) {
-                    erroneousTree = syntaxError(pos, errs, Errors.ExpectedModuleOrOpen);
-                } else {
-                    if (allowRecords) {
-                        erroneousTree = syntaxError(pos, errs, Errors.Expected4(CLASS, INTERFACE, ENUM, "record"));
-                    } else {
-                        erroneousTree = syntaxError(pos, errs, Errors.Expected3(CLASS, INTERFACE, ENUM));
-                    }
-                }
-                return toP(F.Exec(erroneousTree));
+                errs = List.of(mods);
             }
+            final JCErroneous erroneousTree;
+            if (parseModuleInfo) {
+                erroneousTree = syntaxError(pos, errs, Errors.ExpectedModuleOrOpen);
+            } else {
+                if (allowRecords) {
+                    erroneousTree = syntaxError(pos, errs, Errors.Expected4(CLASS, INTERFACE, ENUM, "record"));
+                } else {
+                    erroneousTree = syntaxError(pos, errs, Errors.Expected3(CLASS, INTERFACE, ENUM));
+                }
+            }
+            return toP(F.Exec(erroneousTree));
         }
     }
 
@@ -4426,10 +4420,7 @@ public class JavacParser implements Parser {
     }
 
     protected boolean isRecordStart() {
-        if (token.kind == IDENTIFIER && token.name() == names.record &&
-            (peekToken(TokenKind.IDENTIFIER, TokenKind.LPAREN) ||
-             peekToken(TokenKind.IDENTIFIER, TokenKind.EOF) ||
-             peekToken(TokenKind.IDENTIFIER, TokenKind.LT))) {
+        if (token.kind == IDENTIFIER && token.name() == names.record && peekToken(TokenKind.IDENTIFIER)) {
             checkSourceLevel(Feature.RECORDS);
             return true;
         } else {
diff --git a/src/jdk.compiler/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/resources/compiler.properties b/src/jdk.compiler/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/resources/compiler.properties
index db5d3a0e76a..1c6cdd5429a 100644
--- a/src/jdk.compiler/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/resources/compiler.properties
+++ b/src/jdk.compiler/share/classes/com/sun/tools/javac/resources/compiler.properties
@@ -3774,9 +3774,6 @@ compiler.err.instance.initializer.not.allowed.in.records=\
 compiler.err.static.declaration.not.allowed.in.inner.classes=\
     static declarations not allowed in inner classes
 
-compiler.err.record.header.expected=\
-    record header expected
-
 ############################################
 # messages previously at javac.properties
 
diff --git a/test/langtools/tools/javac/diags/examples/IncorrectRecordDeclaration.java b/test/langtools/tools/javac/diags/examples/IncorrectRecordDeclaration.java
index dc1dd8af632..2b0d0c9673c 100644
--- a/test/langtools/tools/javac/diags/examples/IncorrectRecordDeclaration.java
+++ b/test/langtools/tools/javac/diags/examples/IncorrectRecordDeclaration.java
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@
  * questions.
  */
 
-// key: compiler.err.record.header.expected
+// key: compiler.err.expected
+// key: compiler.err.illegal.start.of.type
 
 record R {}
diff --git a/test/langtools/tools/javac/records/RecordCompilationTests.java b/test/langtools/tools/javac/records/RecordCompilationTests.java
index baa58ef8d83..656246620a1 100644
--- a/test/langtools/tools/javac/records/RecordCompilationTests.java
+++ b/test/langtools/tools/javac/records/RecordCompilationTests.java
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 /*
- * Copyright (c) 2019, 2021, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
+ * Copyright (c) 2019, 2022, Oracle and/or its affiliates. All rights reserved.
  * DO NOT ALTER OR REMOVE COPYRIGHT NOTICES OR THIS FILE HEADER.
  *
  * This code is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify it
@@ -25,7 +25,7 @@
  * RecordCompilationTests
  *
  * @test
- * @bug 8250629 8252307 8247352 8241151 8246774 8259025 8288130 8282714 8289647
+ * @bug 8250629 8252307 8247352 8241151 8246774 8259025 8288130 8282714 8289647 8294020
  * @summary Negative compilation tests, and positive compilation (smoke) tests for records
  * @library /lib/combo /tools/lib /tools/javac/lib
  * @modules
@@ -149,7 +149,7 @@ public class RecordCompilationTests extends CompilationTestCase {
         assertFail("compiler.err.expected", "record R();");
         assertFail("compiler.err.illegal.start.of.type", "record R(,) { }");
         assertFail("compiler.err.illegal.start.of.type", "record R((int x)) { }");
-        assertFail("compiler.err.record.header.expected", "record R { }");
+        assertFail("compiler.err.expected", "record R { }");
         assertFail("compiler.err.expected", "record R(foo) { }");
         assertFail("compiler.err.expected", "record R(int int) { }");
         assertFail("compiler.err.mod.not.allowed.here", "abstract record R(String foo) { }");
diff --git a/test/langtools/tools/javac/records/RecordDeclarationSyntaxTest.java b/test/langtools/tools/javac/records/RecordDeclarationSyntaxTest.java
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..a00d72fdd09
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/langtools/tools/javac/records/RecordDeclarationSyntaxTest.java
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+/*
+ * @test /nodynamiccopyright/
+ * @bug 8294020
+ * @summary improve error position for records without header
+ * @compile/fail/ref=RecordDeclarationSyntaxTest.out -XDrawDiagnostics RecordDeclarationSyntaxTest.java
+ */
+
+class RecordDeclarationSyntaxTest {
+    record R {} // no header
+}
diff --git a/test/langtools/tools/javac/records/RecordDeclarationSyntaxTest.out b/test/langtools/tools/javac/records/RecordDeclarationSyntaxTest.out
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..32f526ebbc8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/langtools/tools/javac/records/RecordDeclarationSyntaxTest.out
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+RecordDeclarationSyntaxTest.java:9:13: compiler.err.expected: '('
+RecordDeclarationSyntaxTest.java:9:14: compiler.err.illegal.start.of.type
+2 errors