diff --git a/pandas/io/excel.py b/pandas/io/excel.py
index a7e0e48de0a75..2b964a88a9695 100644
--- a/pandas/io/excel.py
+++ b/pandas/io/excel.py
@@ -651,6 +651,7 @@ def _parse_cell(cell_contents, cell_typ):
             # GH 12292 : error when read one empty column from excel file
             try:
                 parser = TextParser(data,
+                                    names=names,
                                     header=header,
                                     index_col=index_col,
                                     has_index_names=has_index_names,
@@ -671,9 +672,6 @@ def _parse_cell(cell_contents, cell_typ):
 
                 output[asheetname] = parser.read(nrows=nrows)
 
-                if names is not None:
-                    output[asheetname].columns = names
-
                 if not squeeze or isinstance(output[asheetname], DataFrame):
                     output[asheetname].columns = output[
                         asheetname].columns.set_names(header_names)