diff --git a/skimage/feature/_brief.py b/skimage/feature/_brief.py
index 73230188..27a8d085 100644
--- a/skimage/feature/_brief.py
+++ b/skimage/feature/_brief.py
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@ import numpy as np
 from scipy.ndimage.filters import gaussian_filter
 
 from ..util import img_as_float
-from .util import _remove_border_keypoints, pairwise_hamming_distance
+from .util import _mask_border_keypoints, pairwise_hamming_distance
 
 from ._brief_cy import _brief_loop
 
@@ -142,7 +142,7 @@ def brief(image, keypoints, descriptor_size=256, mode='normal', patch_size=49,
 
     # Removing keypoints that are within (patch_size / 2) distance from the
     # image border
-    keypoints = keypoints[_remove_border_keypoints(image, keypoints, patch_size // 2)]
+    keypoints = keypoints[_mask_border_keypoints(image, keypoints, patch_size // 2)]
     keypoints = np.ascontiguousarray(keypoints)
 
     descriptors = np.zeros((keypoints.shape[0], descriptor_size), dtype=bool,
diff --git a/skimage/feature/censure.py b/skimage/feature/censure.py
index 62f2976c..e3264436 100644
--- a/skimage/feature/censure.py
+++ b/skimage/feature/censure.py
@@ -5,7 +5,7 @@ from skimage.transform import integral_image
 from skimage.feature.corner import _compute_auto_correlation
 from skimage.util import img_as_float
 from skimage.morphology import convex_hull_image
-from skimage.feature.util import _remove_border_keypoints
+from skimage.feature.util import _mask_border_keypoints
 
 from skimage.feature.censure_cy import _censure_dob_loop
 
@@ -217,11 +217,11 @@ def censure_keypoints(image, n_scales=7, mode='DoB', non_max_threshold=0.15,
     if mode == 'Octagon':
         for i in range(2, n_scales):
             c = (OCTAGON_OUTER_SHAPE[i - 1][0] - 1) // 2 + OCTAGON_OUTER_SHAPE[i - 1][1]
-            cumulative_mask = cumulative_mask | (_remove_border_keypoints(image, keypoints, c) & (scales == i))
+            cumulative_mask = cumulative_mask | (_mask_border_keypoints(image, keypoints, c) & (scales == i))
 
     elif mode == 'STAR':
         for i in range(2, n_scales):
             c = STAR_SHAPE[STAR_FILTER_SHAPE[i - 1][0]] + STAR_SHAPE[STAR_FILTER_SHAPE[i - 1][0]] // 2
-            cumulative_mask = cumulative_mask | (_remove_border_keypoints(image, keypoints, c) & (scales == i))
+            cumulative_mask = cumulative_mask | (_mask_border_keypoints(image, keypoints, c) & (scales == i))
 
     return keypoints[cumulative_mask], scales[cumulative_mask]
diff --git a/skimage/feature/util.py b/skimage/feature/util.py
index 513fa05d..eb3817e8 100644
--- a/skimage/feature/util.py
+++ b/skimage/feature/util.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 
 
-def _remove_border_keypoints(image, keypoints, dist):
+def _mask_border_keypoints(image, keypoints, dist):
     """Removes keypoints that are within dist pixels from the image border."""
     width = image.shape[0]
     height = image.shape[1]