diff --git a/cogl/cogl/cogl-trace.c b/cogl/cogl/cogl-trace.c
index 86b610c0a..f6ba55b8a 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl/cogl-trace.c
+++ b/cogl/cogl/cogl-trace.c
@@ -34,6 +34,7 @@ typedef struct
 {
   int   fd;
   char *filename;
+  char *group;
 } TraceData;
 
 static void
@@ -42,6 +43,7 @@ trace_data_free (gpointer user_data)
   TraceData *data = user_data;
 
   data->fd = -1;
+  g_clear_pointer (&data->group, g_free);
   g_clear_pointer (&data->filename, g_free);
   g_free (data);
 }
@@ -97,7 +99,7 @@ ensure_trace_context (TraceData *data)
 }
 
 static CoglTraceThreadContext *
-cogl_trace_thread_context_new (void)
+cogl_trace_thread_context_new (const char *group)
 {
   CoglTraceThreadContext *thread_context;
   pid_t tid;
@@ -107,7 +109,8 @@ cogl_trace_thread_context_new (void)
   thread_context = g_new0 (CoglTraceThreadContext, 1);
   thread_context->cpu_id = -1;
   thread_context->pid = getpid ();
-  thread_context->group = g_strdup_printf ("t:%d", tid);
+  thread_context->group =
+    group ? g_strdup (group) : g_strdup_printf ("t:%d", tid);
 
   return thread_context;
 }
@@ -127,7 +130,7 @@ enable_tracing_idle_callback (gpointer user_data)
       return G_SOURCE_REMOVE;
     }
 
-  thread_context = cogl_trace_thread_context_new ();
+  thread_context = cogl_trace_thread_context_new (data->group);
   g_private_set (&cogl_trace_thread_data, thread_context);
 
   return G_SOURCE_REMOVE;
@@ -173,6 +176,7 @@ disable_tracing_idle_callback (gpointer user_data)
 
 static void
 set_tracing_enabled_on_thread (GMainContext *main_context,
+                               const char   *group,
                                int           fd,
                                const char   *filename)
 {
@@ -181,6 +185,7 @@ set_tracing_enabled_on_thread (GMainContext *main_context,
 
   data = g_new0 (TraceData, 1);
   data->fd = fd;
+  data->group = group ? strdup (group) : NULL;
   data->filename = filename ? strdup (filename) : NULL;
 
   source = g_idle_source_new ();
@@ -196,16 +201,18 @@ set_tracing_enabled_on_thread (GMainContext *main_context,
 
 void
 cogl_set_tracing_enabled_on_thread_with_fd (GMainContext *main_context,
+                                            const char   *group,
                                             int           fd)
 {
-  set_tracing_enabled_on_thread (main_context, fd, NULL);
+  set_tracing_enabled_on_thread (main_context, group, fd, NULL);
 }
 
 void
 cogl_set_tracing_enabled_on_thread (GMainContext *main_context,
+                                    const char   *group,
                                     const char   *filename)
 {
-  set_tracing_enabled_on_thread (main_context, -1, filename);
+  set_tracing_enabled_on_thread (main_context, group, -1, filename);
 }
 
 void
@@ -227,14 +234,16 @@ cogl_set_tracing_disabled_on_thread (GMainContext *main_context)
 #include <stdio.h>
 
 void
-cogl_set_tracing_enabled_on_thread_with_fd (void *data,
-                                            int   fd)
+cogl_set_tracing_enabled_on_thread_with_fd (void       *data,
+                                            const char *group,
+                                            int         fd)
 {
   fprintf (stderr, "Tracing not enabled");
 }
 
 void
 cogl_set_tracing_enabled_on_thread (void       *data,
+                                    const char *group,
                                     const char *filename)
 {
   fprintf (stderr, "Tracing not enabled");
diff --git a/cogl/cogl/cogl-trace.h b/cogl/cogl/cogl-trace.h
index 1c3b81348..e9c9edafc 100644
--- a/cogl/cogl/cogl-trace.h
+++ b/cogl/cogl/cogl-trace.h
@@ -52,9 +52,11 @@ extern CoglTraceContext *cogl_trace_context;
 extern GMutex cogl_trace_mutex;
 
 void cogl_set_tracing_enabled_on_thread_with_fd (GMainContext *main_context,
+                                                 const char   *group,
                                                  int           fd);
 
 void cogl_set_tracing_enabled_on_thread (GMainContext *main_context,
+                                         const char   *group,
                                          const char   *filename);
 
 void cogl_set_tracing_disabled_on_thread (GMainContext *main_context);
@@ -132,9 +134,11 @@ cogl_auto_trace_end_helper (CoglTraceHead **head)
 #define COGL_TRACE_END(Name) (void) 0
 #define COGL_TRACE_BEGIN_SCOPED(Name, description) (void) 0
 
-void cogl_set_tracing_enabled_on_thread_with_fd (void *data,
-                                                 int   fd);
+void cogl_set_tracing_enabled_on_thread_with_fd (void       *data,
+                                                 const char *group,
+                                                 int         fd);
 void cogl_set_tracing_enabled_on_thread (void       *data,
+                                         const char *group,
                                          const char *filename);
 void cogl_set_tracing_disabled_on_thread (void *data);
 
diff --git a/src/backends/meta-profiler.c b/src/backends/meta-profiler.c
index 112a62519..10d433afa 100644
--- a/src/backends/meta-profiler.c
+++ b/src/backends/meta-profiler.c
@@ -22,6 +22,7 @@
 #include "src/backends/meta-profiler.h"
 
 #include <glib-unix.h>
+#include <glib/gi18n.h>
 #include <gio/gunixfdlist.h>
 
 #include "cogl/cogl-trace.h"
@@ -57,6 +58,7 @@ handle_start (MetaDBusSysprof3Profiler *dbus_profiler,
   GMainContext *main_context = g_main_context_default ();
   GDBusMessage *message;
   GUnixFDList *fd_list;
+  const char *group_name;
   int position;
   int fd = -1;
 
@@ -76,10 +78,21 @@ handle_start (MetaDBusSysprof3Profiler *dbus_profiler,
   if (fd_list)
     fd = g_unix_fd_list_get (fd_list, position, NULL);
 
+  /* Translators: this string will appear in Sysprof */
+  group_name = _("Compositor");
+
   if (fd != -1)
-    cogl_set_tracing_enabled_on_thread_with_fd (main_context, fd);
+    {
+      cogl_set_tracing_enabled_on_thread_with_fd (main_context,
+                                                  group_name,
+                                                  fd);
+    }
   else
-    cogl_set_tracing_enabled_on_thread (main_context, "mutter-profile.syscap");
+    {
+      cogl_set_tracing_enabled_on_thread (main_context,
+                                          group_name,
+                                          "mutter-profile.syscap");
+    }
 
   profiler->running = TRUE;