diff --git a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/data.go b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/data.go
index a4c52e942b..c3550e59a5 100644
--- a/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/data.go
+++ b/src/cmd/link/internal/ld/data.go
@@ -2159,9 +2159,19 @@ func (state *dodataState) dodataSect(ctxt *Link, symn sym.SymKind, syms []loader
 	var head, tail loader.Sym
 	ldr := ctxt.loader
 	sl := make([]symNameSize, len(syms))
+
+	// For ppc64, we want to interleave the .got and .toc sections
+	// from input files. Both are type sym.SELFGOT, so in that case
+	// we skip size comparison and do the name comparison instead
+	// (conveniently, .got sorts before .toc).
+	checkSize := symn != sym.SELFGOT
+
 	for k, s := range syms {
 		ss := ldr.SymSize(s)
-		sl[k] = symNameSize{name: ldr.SymName(s), sz: ss, sym: s}
+		sl[k] = symNameSize{sz: ss, sym: s}
+		if !checkSize {
+			sl[k].name = ldr.SymName(s)
+		}
 		ds := int64(len(ldr.Data(s)))
 		switch {
 		case ss < ds:
@@ -2187,12 +2197,6 @@ func (state *dodataState) dodataSect(ctxt *Link, symn sym.SymKind, syms []loader
 		}
 	}
 
-	// For ppc64, we want to interleave the .got and .toc sections
-	// from input files. Both are type sym.SELFGOT, so in that case
-	// we skip size comparison and fall through to the name
-	// comparison (conveniently, .got sorts before .toc).
-	checkSize := symn != sym.SELFGOT
-
 	// Perform the sort.
 	if symn != sym.SPCLNTAB {
 		sort.Slice(sl, func(i, j int) bool {
@@ -2209,11 +2213,12 @@ func (state *dodataState) dodataSect(ctxt *Link, symn sym.SymKind, syms []loader
 				if isz != jsz {
 					return isz < jsz
 				}
-			}
-			iname := sl[i].name
-			jname := sl[j].name
-			if iname != jname {
-				return iname < jname
+			} else {
+				iname := sl[i].name
+				jname := sl[j].name
+				if iname != jname {
+					return iname < jname
+				}
 			}
 			return si < sj
 		})