diff --git a/integration_tests/models/plugins/snowflake/snowflake_external.yml b/integration_tests/models/plugins/snowflake/snowflake_external.yml
index 195cca9d..4e8c24b6 100644
--- a/integration_tests/models/plugins/snowflake/snowflake_external.yml
+++ b/integration_tests/models/plugins/snowflake/snowflake_external.yml
@@ -20,6 +20,9 @@ sources:
             data_type: varchar(64)
           - name: email
             data_type: varchar(64)
+          - name: email
+            alias: email_alias
+            data_type: varchar(64)          
         tests: &equal-to-the-people
           - dbt_utils.equality:
               compare_model: ref('people')
@@ -28,6 +31,7 @@ sources:
                 - first_name
                 - last_name
                 - email
+                - email_alias
 
       - name: people_csv_partitioned
         external:
diff --git a/macros/plugins/snowflake/create_external_table.sql b/macros/plugins/snowflake/create_external_table.sql
index bdfcd9f4..7db5749f 100644
--- a/macros/plugins/snowflake/create_external_table.sql
+++ b/macros/plugins/snowflake/create_external_table.sql
@@ -26,12 +26,14 @@
         {%- endfor -%}{%- endif -%}
         {%- if not infer_schema -%}
             {%- for column in columns %}
+                {%- set column_alias = column.alias if column.alias else column.name %}
+                {%- set column_alias_quoted = adapter.quote(column_alias) if column.quote else column_alias %}
                 {%- set column_quoted = adapter.quote(column.name) if column.quote else column.name %}
                 {%- set col_expression -%}
                     {%- set col_id = 'value:c' ~ loop.index if is_csv else 'value:' ~ column_quoted -%}
                     (case when is_null_value({{col_id}}) or lower({{col_id}}) = 'null' then null else {{col_id}} end)
                 {%- endset %}
-                {{column_quoted}} {{column.data_type}} as ({{col_expression}}::{{column.data_type}})
+                {{column_alias_quoted}} {{column.data_type}} as ({{col_expression}}::{{column.data_type}})
                 {{- ',' if not loop.last -}}
             {% endfor %}
         {% else %}