diff --git a/src/main/java/io/ebean/ExpressionList.java b/src/main/java/io/ebean/ExpressionList.java
index 336be5dfb..c84c9635e 100644
--- a/src/main/java/io/ebean/ExpressionList.java
+++ b/src/main/java/io/ebean/ExpressionList.java
@@ -5,9 +5,9 @@ import io.ebean.search.MultiMatch;
 import io.ebean.search.TextCommonTerms;
 import io.ebean.search.TextQueryString;
 import io.ebean.search.TextSimple;
-import javax.annotation.Nullable;
 
 import javax.annotation.Nonnull;
+import javax.annotation.Nullable;
 import javax.persistence.NonUniqueResultException;
 import java.sql.Timestamp;
 import java.util.Collection;
@@ -261,6 +261,24 @@ public interface ExpressionList<T> {
   @Nonnull
   <A> List<A> findSingleAttributeList();
 
+  /**
+   * Execute a query returning a single value of a single property/column.
+   * <p>
+   * <pre>{@code
+   *
+   *  String name =
+   *    Ebean.find(Customer.class)
+   *      .select("name")
+   *      .where().eq("id", 42)
+   *      .findSingleAttribute();
+   *
+   * }</pre>
+   */
+  default <A> A findSingleAttribute() {
+    List<A> list = findSingleAttributeList();
+    return !list.isEmpty() ? list.get(0) : null;
+  }
+
   /**
    * Execute the query returning a single bean or null (if no matching
    * bean is found).
diff --git a/src/main/java/io/ebean/Query.java b/src/main/java/io/ebean/Query.java
index 1dac8b938..b92067a46 100644
--- a/src/main/java/io/ebean/Query.java
+++ b/src/main/java/io/ebean/Query.java
@@ -813,6 +813,21 @@ public interface Query<T> {
   @Nonnull
   <A> List<A> findSingleAttributeList();
 
+  /**
+   * Execute a query returning a single value of a single property/column.
+   * <p>
+   * <pre>{@code
+   *
+   *  String name =
+   *    Ebean.find(Customer.class)
+   *      .select("name")
+   *      .where().eq("id", 42)
+   *      .findSingleAttribute();
+   *
+   * }</pre>
+   */
+  <A> A findSingleAttribute();
+
   /**
    * Execute the query returning either a single bean or null (if no matching
    * bean is found).
diff --git a/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/querydefn/DefaultOrmQuery.java b/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/querydefn/DefaultOrmQuery.java
index ec52298f2..0ff7b3b29 100644
--- a/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/querydefn/DefaultOrmQuery.java
+++ b/src/main/java/io/ebeaninternal/server/querydefn/DefaultOrmQuery.java
@@ -1284,6 +1284,12 @@ public class DefaultOrmQuery<T> implements SpiQuery<T> {
     return (List<A>) server.findSingleAttributeList(this, null);
   }
 
+  @Override
+  public <A> A findSingleAttribute() {
+    List<A> list = findSingleAttributeList();
+    return !list.isEmpty() ? list.get(0) : null;
+  }
+
   @Override
   public T findOne() {
     return server.findOne(this, null);
diff --git a/src/test/java/org/tests/query/other/TestQuerySingleAttribute.java b/src/test/java/org/tests/query/other/TestQuerySingleAttribute.java
index b02a53c2f..dc071c428 100644
--- a/src/test/java/org/tests/query/other/TestQuerySingleAttribute.java
+++ b/src/test/java/org/tests/query/other/TestQuerySingleAttribute.java
@@ -75,12 +75,40 @@ public class TestQuerySingleAttribute extends BaseTestCase {
 
     Query<Customer> query = Ebean.find(Customer.class).select("name");
 
-    List<String> names = query.findSingleAttributeList();//String.class);
+    List<String> names = query.findSingleAttributeList();
 
     assertThat(sqlOf(query)).contains("select t0.name from o_customer t0");
     assertThat(names).isNotNull();
   }
 
+  @Test
+  public void findSingleAttribute() {
+
+    ResetBasicData.reset();
+
+    Query<Customer> query = Ebean.find(Customer.class)
+      .select("name")
+      .where().eq("id", 1).query();
+
+    String name = query.findSingleAttribute();
+
+    assertThat(sqlOf(query)).contains("select t0.name from o_customer t0");
+    assertThat(name).isNotNull();
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void findSingleAttribute_viaExpression() {
+
+    ResetBasicData.reset();
+
+    String name = Ebean.find(Customer.class)
+      .select("name")
+      .where().eq("id", 1)
+      .findSingleAttribute();
+
+    assertThat(name).isNotNull();
+  }
+
   @Test
   public void distinctAndWhere() {
 
@@ -321,89 +349,89 @@ public class TestQuerySingleAttribute extends BaseTestCase {
 
     assertThat(sqlOf(query)).contains("select distinct t1.billing_address_id from contact t0 join o_customer t1 on t1.id = t0.customer_id  order by t1.billing_address_id desc");
   }
-   
-  @Test 
-  public void distinctWithOrderByPkAndQuery() { 
- 
-    ResetBasicData.reset(); 
- 
-    Query<Contact> query = Ebean.find(Contact.class) 
-        .setDistinct(true) 
-        .fetch("customer","billingAddress") 
+
+  @Test
+  public void distinctWithOrderByPkAndQuery() {
+
+    ResetBasicData.reset();
+
+    Query<Contact> query = Ebean.find(Contact.class)
+        .setDistinct(true)
+        .fetch("customer","billingAddress")
         .where().eq("customer.billingAddress.city", "Auckland")
-        .orderBy().desc("customer.billingAddress.id"); 
- 
-    List<Integer> ids = query.findSingleAttributeList(); 
+        .orderBy().desc("customer.billingAddress.id");
+
+    List<Integer> ids = query.findSingleAttributeList();
     assertThat(ids).isNotEmpty();
 
     assertThat(sqlOf(query)).contains("select distinct t1.billing_address_id from contact t0 "
         + "join o_customer t1 on t1.id = t0.customer_id  "  // two spaces!
         + "left join o_address t2 on t2.id = t1.billing_address_id  "
         + "where t2.city = ?  "
-        + "order by t1.billing_address_id desc"); 
-  } 
-  
-  @Test 
-  public void distinctWithCascadedFetchOrderByPkAndQuery() { 
- 
-    ResetBasicData.reset(); 
- 
-    Query<Contact> query = Ebean.find(Contact.class) 
-        .setDistinct(true) 
-        .fetch("customer","billingAddress")
-        .where().eq("customer.billingAddress.city", "Auckland")
-        .orderBy().desc("customer.billingAddress.id"); 
- 
-    List<Short> ids = query.findSingleAttributeList(); 
-    assertThat(ids).isNotEmpty();
- 
-    assertThat(sqlOf(query)).contains("select distinct t1.billing_address_id from contact t0 "
-        + "join o_customer t1 on t1.id = t0.customer_id  " 
-         + "left join o_address t2 on t2.id = t1.billing_address_id  "
-         + "where t2.city = ?  "
-         + "order by t1.billing_address_id desc"); 
+        + "order by t1.billing_address_id desc");
   }
 
-  @Test 
-  public void distinctWithCascadedFetchOrderByPkAndQuery3() { 
- 
-    ResetBasicData.reset(); 
- 
-    Query<Contact> query = Ebean.find(Contact.class) 
-        .setDistinct(true) 
+  @Test
+  public void distinctWithCascadedFetchOrderByPkAndQuery() {
+
+    ResetBasicData.reset();
+
+    Query<Contact> query = Ebean.find(Contact.class)
+        .setDistinct(true)
         .fetch("customer","billingAddress")
         .where().eq("customer.billingAddress.city", "Auckland")
-        .orderBy().desc("customer.billingAddress.id"); 
- 
-    List<Integer> ids = query.findSingleAttributeList();
+        .orderBy().desc("customer.billingAddress.id");
+
+    List<Short> ids = query.findSingleAttributeList();
     assertThat(ids).isNotEmpty();
- 
+
     assertThat(sqlOf(query)).contains("select distinct t1.billing_address_id from contact t0 "
-        + "join o_customer t1 on t1.id = t0.customer_id  " 
+        + "join o_customer t1 on t1.id = t0.customer_id  "
          + "left join o_address t2 on t2.id = t1.billing_address_id  "
          + "where t2.city = ?  "
-         + "order by t1.billing_address"); 
+         + "order by t1.billing_address_id desc");
   }
-  
-  @Test 
-  public void distinctWithCascadedFetchOrderByPkAndQuery2() { 
- 
-    ResetBasicData.reset(); 
- 
-    Query<Contact> query = Ebean.find(Contact.class) 
-        .setDistinct(true) 
-        .fetch("customer","billingAddress") 
-        .where().eq("customer.shippingAddress.city", "Auckland") // query on shippingAddress
-        .orderBy().desc("customer.billingAddress.id"); 
- 
-    List<Short> ids = query.findSingleAttributeList(); 
+
+  @Test
+  public void distinctWithCascadedFetchOrderByPkAndQuery3() {
+
+    ResetBasicData.reset();
+
+    Query<Contact> query = Ebean.find(Contact.class)
+        .setDistinct(true)
+        .fetch("customer","billingAddress")
+        .where().eq("customer.billingAddress.city", "Auckland")
+        .orderBy().desc("customer.billingAddress.id");
+
+    List<Integer> ids = query.findSingleAttributeList();
     assertThat(ids).isNotEmpty();
- 
+
     assertThat(sqlOf(query)).contains("select distinct t1.billing_address_id from contact t0 "
-        + "join o_customer t1 on t1.id = t0.customer_id  " 
+        + "join o_customer t1 on t1.id = t0.customer_id  "
+         + "left join o_address t2 on t2.id = t1.billing_address_id  "
+         + "where t2.city = ?  "
+         + "order by t1.billing_address");
+  }
+
+  @Test
+  public void distinctWithCascadedFetchOrderByPkAndQuery2() {
+
+    ResetBasicData.reset();
+
+    Query<Contact> query = Ebean.find(Contact.class)
+        .setDistinct(true)
+        .fetch("customer","billingAddress")
+        .where().eq("customer.shippingAddress.city", "Auckland") // query on shippingAddress
+        .orderBy().desc("customer.billingAddress.id");
+
+    List<Short> ids = query.findSingleAttributeList();
+    assertThat(ids).isNotEmpty();
+
+    assertThat(sqlOf(query)).contains("select distinct t1.billing_address_id from contact t0 "
+        + "join o_customer t1 on t1.id = t0.customer_id  "
         + "left join o_address t2 on t2.id = t1.shipping_address_id  "
         + "where t2.city = ?  "
-        + "order by t1.billing_address_id desc"); 
+        + "order by t1.billing_address_id desc");
 
   }
 }