diff --git a/cmd/helm/testdata/output/uninstall-purge.txt b/cmd/helm/testdata/output/uninstall-keep-history.txt
similarity index 100%
rename from cmd/helm/testdata/output/uninstall-purge.txt
rename to cmd/helm/testdata/output/uninstall-keep-history.txt
diff --git a/cmd/helm/uninstall.go b/cmd/helm/uninstall.go
index 1117465da..37da40666 100644
--- a/cmd/helm/uninstall.go
+++ b/cmd/helm/uninstall.go
@@ -27,8 +27,10 @@ import (
 )
 
 const uninstallDesc = `
-This command takes a release name, and then uninstalls the release from Kubernetes.
-It removes all of the resources associated with the last release of the chart.
+This command takes a release name and uninstalls the release.
+
+It removes all of the resources associated with the last release of the chart
+as well as the release history, freeing it up for future use.
 
 Use the '--dry-run' flag to see which releases will be uninstalled without actually
 uninstalling them.
@@ -41,7 +43,7 @@ func newUninstallCmd(cfg *action.Configuration, out io.Writer) *cobra.Command {
 		Use:        "uninstall RELEASE_NAME [...]",
 		Aliases:    []string{"del", "delete", "un"},
 		SuggestFor: []string{"remove", "rm"},
-		Short:      "given a release name, uninstall the release from Kubernetes",
+		Short:      "uninstall a release",
 		Long:       uninstallDesc,
 		Args:       require.MinimumNArgs(1),
 		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
@@ -64,7 +66,7 @@ func newUninstallCmd(cfg *action.Configuration, out io.Writer) *cobra.Command {
 	f := cmd.Flags()
 	f.BoolVar(&client.DryRun, "dry-run", false, "simulate a uninstall")
 	f.BoolVar(&client.DisableHooks, "no-hooks", false, "prevent hooks from running during uninstallation")
-	f.BoolVar(&client.Purge, "purge", false, "remove the release from the store and make its name free for later use")
+	f.BoolVar(&client.KeepHistory, "keep-history", false, "remove all associated resources and mark the release as deleted, but retain the release history")
 	f.Int64Var(&client.Timeout, "timeout", 300, "time in seconds to wait for any individual Kubernetes operation (like Jobs for hooks)")
 
 	return cmd
diff --git a/cmd/helm/uninstall_test.go b/cmd/helm/uninstall_test.go
index b31928e8f..409019a3c 100644
--- a/cmd/helm/uninstall_test.go
+++ b/cmd/helm/uninstall_test.go
@@ -52,9 +52,9 @@ func TestUninstall(t *testing.T) {
 			rels:   []*release.Release{release.Mock(&release.MockReleaseOptions{Name: "aeneas"})},
 		},
 		{
-			name:   "purge",
-			cmd:    "uninstall aeneas --purge",
-			golden: "output/uninstall-purge.txt",
+			name:   "keep history",
+			cmd:    "uninstall aeneas --keep-history",
+			golden: "output/uninstall-keep-history.txt",
 			rels:   []*release.Release{release.Mock(&release.MockReleaseOptions{Name: "aeneas"})},
 		},
 		{
diff --git a/docs/faq.md b/docs/faq.md
index 4d37e8a24..85bfc5350 100644
--- a/docs/faq.md
+++ b/docs/faq.md
@@ -15,6 +15,16 @@ Here's an exhaustive list of all the major changes introduced in Helm 3.
 In Helm 3, Helm switched the Go import path over from `k8s.io/helm` to `helm.sh/helm`. If you intend
 to upgrade to the Helm 3 Go client libraries, make sure to change your import paths.
 
+### Helm delete
+
+In order to better align the verbiage from other package managers, `helm delete` was re-named to
+`helm uninstall`. `helm delete` is still retained as an alias to `helm uninstall`, so either form
+can be used.
+
+In Helm 2, in order to purge the release ledger, the `--purge` flag had to be provided. This
+functionality is now enabled by default. To retain the previous behaviour, use
+`helm uninstall --keep-history`.
+
 
 ## Installing
 
diff --git a/pkg/action/uninstall.go b/pkg/action/uninstall.go
index e44b15583..11d1b5225 100644
--- a/pkg/action/uninstall.go
+++ b/pkg/action/uninstall.go
@@ -38,7 +38,7 @@ type Uninstall struct {
 
 	DisableHooks bool
 	DryRun       bool
-	Purge        bool
+	KeepHistory  bool
 	Timeout      int64
 }
 
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ func (u *Uninstall) Run(name string) (*release.UninstallReleaseResponse, error)
 	// TODO: Are there any cases where we want to force a delete even if it's
 	// already marked deleted?
 	if rel.Info.Status == release.StatusUninstalled {
-		if u.Purge {
+		if !u.KeepHistory {
 			if err := u.purgeReleases(rels...); err != nil {
 				return nil, errors.Wrap(err, "uninstall: Failed to purge the release")
 			}
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ func (u *Uninstall) Run(name string) (*release.UninstallReleaseResponse, error)
 	rel.Info.Status = release.StatusUninstalled
 	rel.Info.Description = "Uninstallation complete"
 
-	if u.Purge {
+	if !u.KeepHistory {
 		u.cfg.Log("purge requested for %s", name)
 		err := u.purgeReleases(rels...)
 		return res, errors.Wrap(err, "uninstall: Failed to purge the release")
diff --git a/scripts/completions.bash b/scripts/completions.bash
index ededbb791..6c05963b4 100644
--- a/scripts/completions.bash
+++ b/scripts/completions.bash
@@ -287,8 +287,8 @@ _helm_delete()
     local_nonpersistent_flags+=("--dry-run")
     flags+=("--no-hooks")
     local_nonpersistent_flags+=("--no-hooks")
-    flags+=("--purge")
-    local_nonpersistent_flags+=("--purge")
+    flags+=("--keep-history")
+    local_nonpersistent_flags+=("--keep-history")
     flags+=("--timeout=")
     local_nonpersistent_flags+=("--timeout=")
     flags+=("--tls")