diff --git a/src/plots/cartesian/axes.js b/src/plots/cartesian/axes.js
index 4e1556f119e..287fe2c5662 100644
--- a/src/plots/cartesian/axes.js
+++ b/src/plots/cartesian/axes.js
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ var MINUS_SIGN = constants.MINUS_SIGN;
 var BADNUM = constants.BADNUM;
 
 var MID_SHIFT = require('../../constants/alignment').MID_SHIFT;
+var LINE_SPACING = require('../../constants/alignment').LINE_SPACING;
 
 var axes = module.exports = {};
 
@@ -2039,6 +2040,26 @@ axes.doTicks = function(gd, axid, skipTitle) {
             });
         }
 
+        // How much to shift a multi-line label to center it vertically.
+        function getAnchorHeight(lineCount, lineHeight, angle) {
+            var h = (lineCount - 1) * lineHeight;
+            if(axLetter === 'x') {
+                if(angle < -60 || 60 < angle) {
+                    return -0.5 * h;
+                } else if(axside === 'top') {
+                    return -h;
+                }
+            } else {
+                angle *= axside === 'left' ? 1 : -1;
+                if(angle < -30) {
+                    return -h;
+                } else if(angle < 30) {
+                    return -0.5 * h;
+                }
+            }
+            return 0;
+        }
+
         function positionLabels(s, angle) {
             s.each(function(d) {
                 var anchor = labelanchor(angle, d);
@@ -2049,6 +2070,13 @@ axes.doTicks = function(gd, axid, skipTitle) {
                         (' rotate(' + angle + ',' + labelx(d) + ',' +
                             (labely(d) - d.fontSize / 2) + ')') :
                         '');
+                var anchorHeight = getAnchorHeight(
+                    svgTextUtils.lineCount(thisLabel),
+                    LINE_SPACING * d.fontSize,
+                    isNumeric(angle) ? +angle : 0);
+                if(anchorHeight) {
+                    transform += ' translate(0, ' + anchorHeight + ')';
+                }
                 if(mathjaxGroup.empty()) {
                     thisLabel.select('text').attr({
                         transform: transform,
diff --git a/test/image/baselines/bar_multiline_labels.png b/test/image/baselines/bar_multiline_labels.png
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..7788b298bd8
Binary files /dev/null and b/test/image/baselines/bar_multiline_labels.png differ
diff --git a/test/image/baselines/benchmarks.png b/test/image/baselines/benchmarks.png
index c04e854f6f0..c2186f5ed1f 100644
Binary files a/test/image/baselines/benchmarks.png and b/test/image/baselines/benchmarks.png differ
diff --git a/test/image/baselines/cliponaxis_false-dates-log.png b/test/image/baselines/cliponaxis_false-dates-log.png
index 12979eb1763..37af1d51d69 100644
Binary files a/test/image/baselines/cliponaxis_false-dates-log.png and b/test/image/baselines/cliponaxis_false-dates-log.png differ
diff --git a/test/image/baselines/gl2d_date_axes.png b/test/image/baselines/gl2d_date_axes.png
index 35a016d6f19..072cbe9d151 100644
Binary files a/test/image/baselines/gl2d_date_axes.png and b/test/image/baselines/gl2d_date_axes.png differ
diff --git a/test/image/baselines/world-cals.png b/test/image/baselines/world-cals.png
index 200ed69241a..cb846f1df20 100644
Binary files a/test/image/baselines/world-cals.png and b/test/image/baselines/world-cals.png differ
diff --git a/test/image/mocks/bar_multiline_labels.json b/test/image/mocks/bar_multiline_labels.json
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..aa9744a0236
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/image/mocks/bar_multiline_labels.json
@@ -0,0 +1,161 @@
+{
+    "data":[
+        {
+            "type": "bar",
+            "x":["x 1","multiple<br>lines","one<br >two<BR>three"],
+            "y":["y 1","multiple<br>lines","one<br >two<BR>three"]
+        },
+        {
+            "type": "bar",
+            "x":["x 2","multiple<br>lines","one<br>two<br>three"],
+            "y":["y 2","multiple<br>lines","one<br>two<br>three"],
+            "xaxis": "x2",
+            "yaxis": "y2"
+        },
+        {
+            "type": "bar",
+            "x":["x 3","multiple<br>lines","one<br>two<br>three"],
+            "y":["y 3","multiple<br>lines","one<br>two<br>three"],
+            "xaxis": "x3",
+            "yaxis": "y3"
+        },
+        {
+            "type": "bar",
+            "x":["x 4","multiple<br>lines","one<br>two<br>three"],
+            "y":["y 4","multiple<br>lines","one<br>two<br>three"],
+            "xaxis": "x4",
+            "yaxis": "y4"
+        },
+        {
+            "type": "bar",
+            "orientation": "h",
+            "x":["x 5","multiple<br>lines","one<br>two<br>three"],
+            "y":["y 5","multiple<br>lines","one<br>two<br>three"],
+            "xaxis": "x5",
+            "yaxis": "y5"
+        },
+        {
+            "type": "bar",
+            "orientation": "h",
+            "x":["x 6","multiple<br>lines","one<br>two<br>three"],
+            "y":["y 6","multiple<br>lines","one<br>two<br>three"],
+            "xaxis": "x6",
+            "yaxis": "y6"
+        },
+        {
+            "type": "scatter",
+            "x":["x 7","multiple<br>lines","one<br>two<br>three"],
+            "y":["y 7","multiple<br>lines","one<br>two<br>three"],
+            "xaxis": "x7",
+            "yaxis": "y7"
+        },
+        {
+            "type": "scatter",
+            "x":["x 8","multiple<br>lines","one<br>two<br>three"],
+            "y":["y 8","multiple<br>lines","one<br>two<br>three"],
+            "xaxis": "x8",
+            "yaxis": "y8"
+        }
+    ],
+    "layout":{
+        "showlegend": false,
+        "xaxis": {
+            "ticks": "outside",
+            "domain": [0, 0.4]
+        },
+        "yaxis": {
+            "ticks": "outside",
+            "domain": [0, 0.4]
+        },
+        "xaxis2": {
+            "ticks": "outside",
+            "domain": [0, 0.4],
+            "side": "top",
+            "anchor": "y2",
+            "tickangle": 90
+        },
+        "yaxis2": {
+            "ticks": "outside",
+            "domain": [0, 0.4],
+            "side": "right",
+            "tickangle": 90
+        },
+        "xaxis3": {
+            "ticks": "outside",
+            "domain": [0.6, 1],
+            "tickangle": 90
+        },
+        "yaxis3": {
+            "ticks": "outside",
+            "domain": [0, 0.4],
+            "anchor": "x3",
+            "tickangle": 90
+        },
+        "xaxis4": {
+            "ticks": "outside",
+            "domain": [0.6, 1],
+            "side": "top"
+        },
+        "yaxis4": {
+            "ticks": "outside",
+            "domain": [0, 0.4],
+            "side": "right",
+            "anchor": "x4"
+        },
+        "xaxis5": {
+            "ticks": "outside",
+            "domain": [0, 0.4],
+            "anchor": "y5",
+            "tickangle": 45
+        },
+        "yaxis5": {
+            "ticks": "outside",
+            "domain": [0.6, 1],
+            "anchor": "x5",
+            "tickangle": 45
+        },
+        "xaxis6": {
+            "ticks": "outside",
+            "domain": [0, 0.4],
+            "side": "top",
+            "anchor": "y6",
+            "tickangle": -90
+        },
+        "yaxis6": {
+            "ticks": "outside",
+            "domain": [0.6, 1],
+            "anchor": "x6",
+            "side": "right",
+            "tickangle": -90
+        },
+        "xaxis7": {
+            "ticks": "outside",
+            "domain": [0.6, 1],
+            "anchor": "y7",
+            "tickangle": -90
+        },
+        "yaxis7": {
+            "ticks": "outside",
+            "domain": [0.6, 1],
+            "anchor": "x7",
+            "tickangle": -90
+        },
+        "xaxis8": {
+            "ticks": "outside",
+            "domain": [0.6, 1],
+            "side": "top",
+            "anchor": "y8",
+            "tickangle": -45
+        },
+        "yaxis8": {
+            "ticks": "outside",
+            "domain": [0.6, 1],
+            "side": "right",
+            "anchor": "x8",
+            "tickangle": 45
+        },
+        "legend": "none",
+        "height":800,
+        "width":800
+    }
+}