diff --git a/Lib/pkgutil.py b/Lib/pkgutil.py
--- a/Lib/pkgutil.py
+++ b/Lib/pkgutil.py
@@ -445,18 +445,18 @@ def iter_importers(fullname=""):
     If no module name is specified, all top level importers are produced.
     """
     if fullname.startswith('.'):
         msg = "Relative module name {!r} not supported".format(fullname)
         raise ImportError(msg)
     if '.' in fullname:
         # Get the containing package's __path__
         pkg_name = fullname.rpartition(".")[0]
-        pkg = importlib.import_module(pkg)
-        path = getattr(sys.modules[pkg], '__path__', None)
+        pkg = importlib.import_module(pkg_name)
+        path = getattr(sys.modules[pkg.__name__], '__path__', None)
         if path is None:
             return
     else:
         yield from sys.meta_path
         path = sys.path
     for item in path:
         yield get_importer(item)
 
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_pkgutil.py b/Lib/test/test_pkgutil.py
--- a/Lib/test/test_pkgutil.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_pkgutil.py
@@ -182,16 +182,23 @@ class ExtendPathTests(unittest.TestCase)
         shutil.rmtree(dirname_0)
         shutil.rmtree(dirname_1)
         del sys.path[0]
         del sys.path[0]
         del sys.modules['foo']
         del sys.modules['foo.bar']
         del sys.modules['foo.baz']
 
+    def test_iter_importers_wrong_name(self):
+        # See issue 16163
+        try:
+            importers_list = list(pkgutil.iter_importers('spam.eggs'))
+        except ImportError:
+            pass
+
     def test_mixed_namespace(self):
         pkgname = 'foo'
         dirname_0 = self.create_init(pkgname)
         dirname_1 = self.create_init(pkgname)
         self.create_submodule(dirname_0, pkgname, 'bar', 0)
         # Turn this into a PEP 420 namespace package
         os.unlink(os.path.join(dirname_0, pkgname, '__init__.py'))
         self.create_submodule(dirname_1, pkgname, 'baz', 1)