diff --git a/io/io/src/TDirectoryFile.cxx b/io/io/src/TDirectoryFile.cxx
index d4f33a9c12a6e..34ae71942a592 100644
--- a/io/io/src/TDirectoryFile.cxx
+++ b/io/io/src/TDirectoryFile.cxx
@@ -1258,7 +1258,9 @@ TFile *TDirectoryFile::OpenFile(const char *name, Option_t *option,const char *f
 /// Create a sub-directory "a" or a hierarchy of sub-directories "a/b/c/...".
 ///
 /// @param name the name or hierarchy of the subdirectory ("a" or "a/b/c")
-/// @param title the title
+/// @param title the title of the directory. For hierarchies, this is only applied
+/// to the innermost directory (so if `name == "a/b/c"` and `title == "my dir"`,
+/// only `c` will have the title `"my dir"`).
 /// @param returnExistingDirectory if key-name is already existing, the returned
 /// value points to preexisting sub-directory if true and to `nullptr` if false.
 /// @return a pointer to the created sub-directory, not to the top sub-directory
@@ -1284,10 +1286,11 @@ TDirectory *TDirectoryFile::mkdir(const char *name, const char *title, Bool_t re
       TDirectoryFile *tmpdir = nullptr;
       GetObject(workname.Data(), tmpdir);
       if (!tmpdir) {
-         tmpdir = (TDirectoryFile*)mkdir(workname.Data(),title);
+         // We give all intermediate directories a default title, as `title` is only given to the innermost dir.
+         tmpdir = (TDirectoryFile *)mkdir(workname.Data(), workname.Data());
          if (!tmpdir) return nullptr;
       }
-      return tmpdir->mkdir(slash + 1);
+      return tmpdir->mkdir(slash + 1, title, returnExistingDirectory);
    }
 
    TDirectory::TContext ctxt(this);
diff --git a/io/io/test/TFileTests.cxx b/io/io/test/TFileTests.cxx
index 16c58e8fd46a6..e33ddfc59ec66 100644
--- a/io/io/test/TFileTests.cxx
+++ b/io/io/test/TFileTests.cxx
@@ -5,6 +5,8 @@
 
 #include "gtest/gtest.h"
 
+#include <ROOT/TestSupport.hxx>
+
 #include "TFile.h"
 #include "TMemFile.h"
 #include "TDirectory.h"
@@ -280,6 +282,28 @@ TEST(TDirectoryFile, SeekParent)
    EXPECT_EQ(dir11->GetSeekParent(), 239);
 }
 
+TEST(TDirectoryFile, RecursiveMkdir)
+{
+   TMemFile f("mkdirtest.root", "RECREATE");
+   auto dir1 = f.mkdir("a/b/c", "my dir");
+   EXPECT_NE(dir1, nullptr);
+   {
+      ROOT::TestSupport::CheckDiagsRAII diags;
+      diags.requiredDiag(kError, "TDirectoryFile::mkdir","An object with name c exists already");
+      auto dir2 = f.mkdir("a/b/c", "", /* returnExisting = */ false);
+      EXPECT_EQ(dir2, nullptr);
+   }
+   auto dir3 = f.mkdir("a/b/c", "foobar", /* returnExisting = */ true);
+   EXPECT_EQ(dir3, dir1);
+   EXPECT_STREQ(dir3->GetTitle(), "my dir");
+   auto dirB = dir3->GetMotherDir();
+   ASSERT_NE(dirB, nullptr);
+   EXPECT_STREQ(dirB->GetTitle(), "b");
+   auto dirA = dirB->GetMotherDir();
+   ASSERT_NE(dirA, nullptr);
+   EXPECT_STREQ(dirA->GetTitle(), "a");
+}
+
 // https://its.cern.ch/jira/browse/ROOT-10581
 TEST(TFile, PersistTObjectStdArray)
 {