diff --git a/importlib_metadata/__init__.py b/importlib_metadata/__init__.py
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@
 import sys
 import textwrap
 import types
-from collections.abc import Iterable, Mapping
+from collections.abc import Callable, Iterable, Mapping
 from contextlib import suppress
 from importlib import import_module
 from importlib.abc import MetaPathFinder
@@ -401,6 +401,25 @@ def __repr__(self) -> str:
         return f'<FileHash mode: {self.mode} value: {self.value}>'
 
 
+def _identify_dist(
+    accessor: Callable[[Distribution], str],
+) -> Callable[[Distribution], str]:
+    """
+    Decorate a required metadata accessor to identify the distribution
+    in the error raised when its field is absent.
+    """
+
+    @functools.wraps(accessor)
+    def wrapper(self: Distribution) -> str:
+        try:
+            return accessor(self)
+        except KeyError as exc:
+            (field,) = exc.args
+            raise KeyError(f'Metadata field {field} not present in {self}') from None
+
+    return wrapper
+
+
 class Distribution(metaclass=abc.ABCMeta):
     """
     An abstract Python distribution package.
@@ -561,6 +580,7 @@ def _ensure_metadata_present(self, text: str | None) -> str:
         raise MetadataNotFound('No package metadata was found.')
 
     @property
+    @_identify_dist
     def name(self) -> str:
         """Return the 'Name' metadata for the distribution package."""
         return self.metadata['Name']
@@ -571,6 +591,7 @@ def _normalized_name(self):
         return Prepared.normalize(self.name)
 
     @property
+    @_identify_dist
     def version(self) -> str:
         """Return the 'Version' metadata for the distribution package."""
         return self.metadata['Version']
@@ -1029,6 +1050,16 @@ def __init__(self, path: SimplePath) -> None:
         """
         self._path = path
 
+    def __str__(self) -> str:
+        """
+        Render as the metadata path, identifying the distribution
+        even when its metadata cannot name it.
+
+        >>> str(Distribution.at('foo-1.0.dist-info'))
+        'foo-1.0.dist-info'
+        """
+        return str(self._path)
+
     def read_text(self, filename: str | os.PathLike[str]) -> str | None:
         with suppress(
             FileNotFoundError,

diff --git a/importlib_metadata/diagnose.py b/importlib_metadata/diagnose.py
@@ -3,13 +3,6 @@
 from . import Distribution, MetadataNotFound
 
 
-def _locate(dist: Distribution) -> str:
-    """
-    Indicate where the distribution's metadata was found.
-    """
-    return str(getattr(dist, '_path', dist))
-
-
 def describe(dist: Distribution) -> str:
     """
     Describe the distribution by name, or by location when the
@@ -21,9 +14,9 @@ def describe(dist: Distribution) -> str:
     try:
         return dist.name
     except MetadataNotFound:
-        return f'{_locate(dist)} (no metadata)'
+        return f'{dist} (no metadata)'
     except KeyError:
-        return f'{_locate(dist)} (metadata without a name)'
+        return f'{dist} (metadata without a name)'
 
 
 def inspect(path):

diff --git a/newsfragments/508.bugfix.rst b/newsfragments/508.bugfix.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+A missing required metadata field (``Name`` or ``Version``) now raises a
+``KeyError`` that names the field and identifies the distribution, which
+``PathDistribution`` renders as its metadata path.
diff --git a/tests/test_main.py b/tests/test_main.py
@@ -188,6 +188,25 @@ def test_diagnose_reports_invalid(self):
         assert 'empty-1.0.dist-info (no metadata)' in report
         assert 'nameless-1.0.dist-info (metadata without a name)' in report
 
+    def test_missing_required_metadata(self):
+        """
+        A missing required metadata field should raise a ``KeyError``
+        naming the field and locating the distribution.
+
+        Ref python/importlib_metadata#508.
+        """
+        fixtures.build_files(self.make_pkg('nameless-4.4'), self.site_dir)
+        fixtures.build_files(
+            self.make_pkg('unversioned-4.4', files=dict(METADATA='Name: unversioned')),
+            self.site_dir,
+        )
+        nameless = Distribution.at(self.site_dir / 'nameless-4.4.dist-info')
+        with self.assertRaisesRegex(KeyError, 'Name.*nameless-4.4.dist-info'):
+            nameless.name
+        unversioned = Distribution.at(self.site_dir / 'unversioned-4.4.dist-info')
+        with self.assertRaisesRegex(KeyError, 'Version.*unversioned-4.4.dist-info'):
+            unversioned.version
+
 
 class NonASCIITests(fixtures.OnSysPath, fixtures.SiteDir, unittest.TestCase):
     @staticmethod