diff --git a/include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h b/include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h
index f35eb72739c0..9de8780ac8d9 100644
--- a/include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h
+++ b/include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h
@@ -646,10 +646,12 @@ struct perf_event_mmap_page {
  *
  *   PERF_RECORD_MISC_MMAP_DATA  - PERF_RECORD_MMAP* events
  *   PERF_RECORD_MISC_COMM_EXEC  - PERF_RECORD_COMM event
+ *   PERF_RECORD_MISC_FORK_EXEC  - PERF_RECORD_FORK event (perf internal)
  *   PERF_RECORD_MISC_SWITCH_OUT - PERF_RECORD_SWITCH* events
  */
 #define PERF_RECORD_MISC_MMAP_DATA		(1 << 13)
 #define PERF_RECORD_MISC_COMM_EXEC		(1 << 13)
+#define PERF_RECORD_MISC_FORK_EXEC		(1 << 13)
 #define PERF_RECORD_MISC_SWITCH_OUT		(1 << 13)
 /*
  * These PERF_RECORD_MISC_* flags below are safely reused
diff --git a/tools/include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h b/tools/include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h
index f35eb72739c0..9de8780ac8d9 100644
--- a/tools/include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h
+++ b/tools/include/uapi/linux/perf_event.h
@@ -646,10 +646,12 @@ struct perf_event_mmap_page {
  *
  *   PERF_RECORD_MISC_MMAP_DATA  - PERF_RECORD_MMAP* events
  *   PERF_RECORD_MISC_COMM_EXEC  - PERF_RECORD_COMM event
+ *   PERF_RECORD_MISC_FORK_EXEC  - PERF_RECORD_FORK event (perf internal)
  *   PERF_RECORD_MISC_SWITCH_OUT - PERF_RECORD_SWITCH* events
  */
 #define PERF_RECORD_MISC_MMAP_DATA		(1 << 13)
 #define PERF_RECORD_MISC_COMM_EXEC		(1 << 13)
+#define PERF_RECORD_MISC_FORK_EXEC		(1 << 13)
 #define PERF_RECORD_MISC_SWITCH_OUT		(1 << 13)
 /*
  * These PERF_RECORD_MISC_* flags below are safely reused
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/event.c b/tools/perf/util/event.c
index bc646185f8d9..e9c108a6b1c3 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/event.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/event.c
@@ -308,6 +308,7 @@ static int perf_event__synthesize_fork(struct perf_tool *tool,
 	event->fork.pid  = tgid;
 	event->fork.tid  = pid;
 	event->fork.header.type = PERF_RECORD_FORK;
+	event->fork.header.misc = PERF_RECORD_MISC_FORK_EXEC;
 
 	event->fork.header.size = (sizeof(event->fork) + machine->id_hdr_size);
 
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/machine.c b/tools/perf/util/machine.c
index 8ee8ab39d8ac..8f36ce813bc5 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/machine.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/machine.c
@@ -1708,6 +1708,7 @@ int machine__process_fork_event(struct machine *machine, union perf_event *event
 	struct thread *parent = machine__findnew_thread(machine,
 							event->fork.ppid,
 							event->fork.ptid);
+	bool do_maps_clone = true;
 	int err = 0;
 
 	if (dump_trace)
@@ -1736,9 +1737,25 @@ int machine__process_fork_event(struct machine *machine, union perf_event *event
 
 	thread = machine__findnew_thread(machine, event->fork.pid,
 					 event->fork.tid);
+	/*
+	 * When synthesizing FORK events, we are trying to create thread
+	 * objects for the already running tasks on the machine.
+	 *
+	 * Normally, for a kernel FORK event, we want to clone the parent's
+	 * maps because that is what the kernel just did.
+	 *
+	 * But when synthesizing, this should not be done.  If we do, we end up
+	 * with overlapping maps as we process the sythesized MMAP2 events that
+	 * get delivered shortly thereafter.
+	 *
+	 * Use the FORK event misc flags in an internal way to signal this
+	 * situation, so we can elide the map clone when appropriate.
+	 */
+	if (event->fork.header.misc & PERF_RECORD_MISC_FORK_EXEC)
+		do_maps_clone = false;
 
 	if (thread == NULL || parent == NULL ||
-	    thread__fork(thread, parent, sample->time) < 0) {
+	    thread__fork(thread, parent, sample->time, do_maps_clone) < 0) {
 		dump_printf("problem processing PERF_RECORD_FORK, skipping event.\n");
 		err = -1;
 	}
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/thread.c b/tools/perf/util/thread.c
index 2048d393ece6..3d9ed7d0e281 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/thread.c
+++ b/tools/perf/util/thread.c
@@ -330,7 +330,8 @@ static int thread__prepare_access(struct thread *thread)
 }
 
 static int thread__clone_map_groups(struct thread *thread,
-				    struct thread *parent)
+				    struct thread *parent,
+				    bool do_maps_clone)
 {
 	/* This is new thread, we share map groups for process. */
 	if (thread->pid_ == parent->pid_)
@@ -341,15 +342,11 @@ static int thread__clone_map_groups(struct thread *thread,
 			 thread->pid_, thread->tid, parent->pid_, parent->tid);
 		return 0;
 	}
-
 	/* But this one is new process, copy maps. */
-	if (map_groups__clone(thread, parent->mg) < 0)
-		return -ENOMEM;
-
-	return 0;
+	return do_maps_clone ? map_groups__clone(thread, parent->mg) : 0;
 }
 
-int thread__fork(struct thread *thread, struct thread *parent, u64 timestamp)
+int thread__fork(struct thread *thread, struct thread *parent, u64 timestamp, bool do_maps_clone)
 {
 	if (parent->comm_set) {
 		const char *comm = thread__comm_str(parent);
@@ -362,7 +359,7 @@ int thread__fork(struct thread *thread, struct thread *parent, u64 timestamp)
 	}
 
 	thread->ppid = parent->tid;
-	return thread__clone_map_groups(thread, parent);
+	return thread__clone_map_groups(thread, parent, do_maps_clone);
 }
 
 void thread__find_cpumode_addr_location(struct thread *thread, u64 addr,
diff --git a/tools/perf/util/thread.h b/tools/perf/util/thread.h
index 36c09a9904e6..30e2b4c165fe 100644
--- a/tools/perf/util/thread.h
+++ b/tools/perf/util/thread.h
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ struct comm *thread__comm(const struct thread *thread);
 struct comm *thread__exec_comm(const struct thread *thread);
 const char *thread__comm_str(const struct thread *thread);
 int thread__insert_map(struct thread *thread, struct map *map);
-int thread__fork(struct thread *thread, struct thread *parent, u64 timestamp);
+int thread__fork(struct thread *thread, struct thread *parent, u64 timestamp, bool do_maps_clone);
 size_t thread__fprintf(struct thread *thread, FILE *fp);
 
 struct thread *thread__main_thread(struct machine *machine, struct thread *thread);