diff --git a/src/OpenTelemetry/CHANGELOG.md b/src/OpenTelemetry/CHANGELOG.md
index 2b3bd30138f..42161e7968e 100644
--- a/src/OpenTelemetry/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/src/OpenTelemetry/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
 
 ## Unreleased
 
+* Recording a `double.NaN` value on a histogram increases the count of the
+  greatest bucket and does not affect the sum.
+  ([#3279](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-dotnet/pull/3279))
+
 * Exposed public setters for `LogRecord.State`, `LogRecord.StateValues`,
   and `LogRecord.FormattedMessage`.
  ([#3217](https://github.com/open-telemetry/opentelemetry-dotnet/pull/3217))
diff --git a/src/OpenTelemetry/Metrics/ExplicitBucketHistogramConfiguration.cs b/src/OpenTelemetry/Metrics/ExplicitBucketHistogramConfiguration.cs
index 58bfc245b10..bf2f896d404 100644
--- a/src/OpenTelemetry/Metrics/ExplicitBucketHistogramConfiguration.cs
+++ b/src/OpenTelemetry/Metrics/ExplicitBucketHistogramConfiguration.cs
@@ -30,7 +30,7 @@ public class ExplicitBucketHistogramConfiguration : MetricStreamConfiguration
         /// Requirements:
         /// <list type="bullet">
         /// <item>The array must be in ascending order with distinct
-        /// values.</item>
+        /// values. double.NaN is not allowed</item>
         /// <item>An empty array would result in no histogram buckets being
         /// calculated.</item>
         /// <item>A null value would result in default bucket boundaries being
@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ public double[] Boundaries
                 {
                     if (!IsSortedAndDistinct(value))
                     {
-                        throw new ArgumentException($"Histogram boundaries are invalid. Histogram boundaries must be in ascending order with distinct values.", nameof(value));
+                        throw new ArgumentException($"Histogram boundaries are invalid. Histogram boundaries must be in ascending order with distinct values. double.NaN is not allowed.", nameof(value));
                     }
 
                     double[] copy = new double[value.Length];
@@ -76,9 +76,14 @@ public double[] Boundaries
 
         private static bool IsSortedAndDistinct(double[] values)
         {
+            if (double.IsNaN(values[0]))
+            {
+                return false;
+            }
+
             for (int i = 1; i < values.Length; i++)
             {
-                if (values[i] <= values[i - 1])
+                if (double.IsNaN(values[i]) || values[i] <= values[i - 1])
                 {
                     return false;
                 }
diff --git a/src/OpenTelemetry/Metrics/MetricPoint.cs b/src/OpenTelemetry/Metrics/MetricPoint.cs
index f848c319594..42a3f00a45f 100644
--- a/src/OpenTelemetry/Metrics/MetricPoint.cs
+++ b/src/OpenTelemetry/Metrics/MetricPoint.cs
@@ -324,13 +324,16 @@ internal void Update(double number)
 
                 case AggregationType.Histogram:
                     {
-                        int i;
-                        for (i = 0; i < this.histogramBuckets.ExplicitBounds.Length; i++)
+                        int i = this.histogramBuckets.ExplicitBounds.Length;
+                        if (!double.IsNaN(number))
                         {
-                            // Upper bound is inclusive
-                            if (number <= this.histogramBuckets.ExplicitBounds[i])
+                            for (i = 0; i < this.histogramBuckets.ExplicitBounds.Length; i++)
                             {
-                                break;
+                                // Upper bound is inclusive
+                                if (number <= this.histogramBuckets.ExplicitBounds[i])
+                                {
+                                    break;
+                                }
                             }
                         }
 
@@ -342,8 +345,11 @@ internal void Update(double number)
                                 unchecked
                                 {
                                     this.runningValue.AsLong++;
-                                    this.histogramBuckets.RunningSum += number;
                                     this.histogramBuckets.RunningBucketCounts[i]++;
+                                    if (!double.IsNaN(number))
+                                    {
+                                        this.histogramBuckets.RunningSum += number;
+                                    }
                                 }
 
                                 this.histogramBuckets.IsCriticalSectionOccupied = 0;
@@ -366,7 +372,10 @@ internal void Update(double number)
                                 unchecked
                                 {
                                     this.runningValue.AsLong++;
-                                    this.histogramBuckets.RunningSum += number;
+                                    if (!double.IsNaN(number))
+                                    {
+                                        this.histogramBuckets.RunningSum += number;
+                                    }
                                 }
 
                                 this.histogramBuckets.IsCriticalSectionOccupied = 0;
diff --git a/test/OpenTelemetry.Tests/Metrics/MetricTestData.cs b/test/OpenTelemetry.Tests/Metrics/MetricTestData.cs
index 0664dc18c00..2e7052b773a 100644
--- a/test/OpenTelemetry.Tests/Metrics/MetricTestData.cs
+++ b/test/OpenTelemetry.Tests/Metrics/MetricTestData.cs
@@ -44,6 +44,7 @@ public static IEnumerable<object[]> ValidInstrumentNames
         public static IEnumerable<object[]> InvalidHistogramBoundaries
            => new List<object[]>
            {
+                    new object[] { new double[] { double.NaN } },
                     new object[] { new double[] { 0, 0 } },
                     new object[] { new double[] { 1, 0 } },
                     new object[] { new double[] { 0, 1, 1, 2 } },
diff --git a/test/OpenTelemetry.Tests/Metrics/MetricViewTests.cs b/test/OpenTelemetry.Tests/Metrics/MetricViewTests.cs
index 3a12cd4ac05..b9e271806ef 100644
--- a/test/OpenTelemetry.Tests/Metrics/MetricViewTests.cs
+++ b/test/OpenTelemetry.Tests/Metrics/MetricViewTests.cs
@@ -204,7 +204,7 @@ public void AddViewWithInvalidHistogramBoundsThrowsArgumentException(double[] bo
             var ex = Assert.Throws<ArgumentException>(() => Sdk.CreateMeterProviderBuilder()
                 .AddView("name1", new ExplicitBucketHistogramConfiguration { Boundaries = boundaries }));
 
-            Assert.Contains("Histogram boundaries must be in ascending order with distinct values", ex.Message);
+            Assert.Contains("Histogram boundaries must be in ascending order with distinct values. double.NaN is not allowed", ex.Message);
         }
 
         [Theory]
@@ -501,7 +501,7 @@ public void ViewToProduceCustomHistogramBound()
                 .AddInMemoryExporter(exportedItems)
                 .Build();
 
-            var histogram = meter.CreateHistogram<long>("MyHistogram");
+            var histogram = meter.CreateHistogram<double>("MyHistogram");
             histogram.Record(-10);
             histogram.Record(0);
             histogram.Record(1);
@@ -509,6 +509,7 @@ public void ViewToProduceCustomHistogramBound()
             histogram.Record(10);
             histogram.Record(11);
             histogram.Record(19);
+            histogram.Record(double.NaN);
             meterProvider.ForceFlush(MaxTimeToAllowForFlush);
             Assert.Equal(2, exportedItems.Count);
             var metricDefault = exportedItems[0];
@@ -530,11 +531,11 @@ public void ViewToProduceCustomHistogramBound()
             var sum = histogramPoint.GetHistogramSum();
 
             Assert.Equal(40, sum);
-            Assert.Equal(7, count);
+            Assert.Equal(8, count);
 
             int index = 0;
             int actualCount = 0;
-            var expectedBucketCounts = new long[] { 2, 1, 2, 2, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0 };
+            var expectedBucketCounts = new long[] { 2, 1, 2, 2, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1 };
             foreach (var histogramMeasurement in histogramPoint.GetHistogramBuckets())
             {
                 Assert.Equal(expectedBucketCounts[index], histogramMeasurement.BucketCount);
@@ -557,11 +558,11 @@ public void ViewToProduceCustomHistogramBound()
             sum = histogramPoint.GetHistogramSum();
 
             Assert.Equal(40, sum);
-            Assert.Equal(7, count);
+            Assert.Equal(8, count);
 
             index = 0;
             actualCount = 0;
-            expectedBucketCounts = new long[] { 5, 2, 0 };
+            expectedBucketCounts = new long[] { 5, 2, 1 };
             foreach (var histogramMeasurement in histogramPoint.GetHistogramBuckets())
             {
                 Assert.Equal(expectedBucketCounts[index], histogramMeasurement.BucketCount);