diff --git a/prometheus/histogram.go b/prometheus/histogram.go
index 4c873a01c..8798184aa 100644
--- a/prometheus/histogram.go
+++ b/prometheus/histogram.go
@@ -544,16 +544,12 @@ func newHistogram(desc *Desc, opts HistogramOpts, labelValues ...string) Histogr
 	}
 	// Finally we know the final length of h.upperBounds and can make buckets
 	// for both counts as well as exemplars:
-	h.counts[0] = &histogramCounts{
-		buckets:                          make([]uint64, len(h.upperBounds)),
-		nativeHistogramZeroThresholdBits: math.Float64bits(h.nativeHistogramZeroThreshold),
-		nativeHistogramSchema:            h.nativeHistogramSchema,
-	}
-	h.counts[1] = &histogramCounts{
-		buckets:                          make([]uint64, len(h.upperBounds)),
-		nativeHistogramZeroThresholdBits: math.Float64bits(h.nativeHistogramZeroThreshold),
-		nativeHistogramSchema:            h.nativeHistogramSchema,
-	}
+	h.counts[0] = &histogramCounts{buckets: make([]uint64, len(h.upperBounds))}
+	atomic.StoreUint64(&h.counts[0].nativeHistogramZeroThresholdBits, math.Float64bits(h.nativeHistogramZeroThreshold))
+	atomic.StoreInt32(&h.counts[0].nativeHistogramSchema, h.nativeHistogramSchema)
+	h.counts[1] = &histogramCounts{buckets: make([]uint64, len(h.upperBounds))}
+	atomic.StoreUint64(&h.counts[1].nativeHistogramZeroThresholdBits, math.Float64bits(h.nativeHistogramZeroThreshold))
+	atomic.StoreInt32(&h.counts[1].nativeHistogramSchema, h.nativeHistogramSchema)
 	h.exemplars = make([]atomic.Value, len(h.upperBounds)+1)
 
 	h.init(h) // Init self-collection.
diff --git a/prometheus/histogram_test.go b/prometheus/histogram_test.go
index e745aa1ec..0e1317eca 100644
--- a/prometheus/histogram_test.go
+++ b/prometheus/histogram_test.go
@@ -470,7 +470,7 @@ func TestHistogramExemplar(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestSparseHistogram(t *testing.T) {
+func TestNativeHistogram(t *testing.T) {
 	scenarios := []struct {
 		name             string
 		observations     []float64 // With simulated interval of 1m.
@@ -686,7 +686,7 @@ func TestSparseHistogram(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestSparseHistogramConcurrency(t *testing.T) {
+func TestNativeHistogramConcurrency(t *testing.T) {
 	if testing.Short() {
 		t.Skip("Skipping test in short mode.")
 	}
@@ -703,7 +703,7 @@ func TestSparseHistogramConcurrency(t *testing.T) {
 		end.Add(concLevel)
 
 		his := NewHistogram(HistogramOpts{
-			Name:                            "test_sparse_histogram",
+			Name:                            "test_native_histogram",
 			Help:                            "This help is sparse.",
 			NativeHistogramBucketFactor:     1.05,
 			NativeHistogramZeroThreshold:    0.0000001,