diff --git a/IPython/core/interactiveshell.py b/IPython/core/interactiveshell.py
index 97efe87..98b924a 100644
--- a/IPython/core/interactiveshell.py
+++ b/IPython/core/interactiveshell.py
@@ -3089,7 +3089,7 @@ class InteractiveShell(SingletonConfigurable):
         lines = self.history_manager.get_range_by_str(range_str, raw=raw)
         return "\n".join(x for _, _, x in lines)
 
-    def find_user_code(self, target, raw=True, py_only=False, skip_encoding_cookie=True):
+    def find_user_code(self, target, raw=True, py_only=False, skip_encoding_cookie=True, search_ns=False):
         """Get a code string from history, file, url, or a string or macro.
 
         This is mainly used by magic functions.
@@ -3156,11 +3156,18 @@ class InteractiveShell(SingletonConfigurable):
             elif os.path.isdir(os.path.expanduser(tgt)):
                 raise ValueError("'%s' is a directory, not a regular file." % target)
 
+        if search_ns:
+            # Inspect namespace to load object source
+            object_info = self.object_inspect(target, detail_level=1)
+            if object_info['found'] and object_info['source']:
+                return object_info['source']
+
         try:                                              # User namespace
             codeobj = eval(target, self.user_ns)
         except Exception:
             raise ValueError(("'%s' was not found in history, as a file, url, "
                                 "nor in the user namespace.") % target)
+
         if isinstance(codeobj, string_types):
             return codeobj
         elif isinstance(codeobj, Macro):
diff --git a/IPython/core/magics/code.py b/IPython/core/magics/code.py
index 35c16de..fd869d7 100644
--- a/IPython/core/magics/code.py
+++ b/IPython/core/magics/code.py
@@ -272,7 +272,8 @@ class CodeMagics(Magics):
         Usage:\\
           %load [options] source
 
-          where source can be a filename, URL, input history range or macro
+          where source can be a filename, URL, input history range, macro, or
+          element in the user namespace
 
         Options:
 
@@ -285,6 +286,8 @@ class CodeMagics(Magics):
 
           -y : Don't ask confirmation for loading source above 200 000 characters.
 
+          -n : Include the user's namespace when searching for source code.
+
         This magic command can either take a local filename, a URL, an history
         range (see %history) or a macro as argument, it will prompt for
         confirmation before loading source with more than 200 000 characters, unless
@@ -297,14 +300,18 @@ class CodeMagics(Magics):
         %load -r 5-10 myscript.py
         %load -r 10-20,30,40: foo.py
         %load -s MyClass,wonder_function myscript.py
+        %load -n MyClass
+        %load -n my_module.wonder_function
         """
-        opts,args = self.parse_options(arg_s,'ys:r:')
+        opts,args = self.parse_options(arg_s,'yns:r:')
 
         if not args:
             raise UsageError('Missing filename, URL, input history range, '
-                             'or macro.')
+                             'macro, or element in the user namespace.')
+
+        search_ns = 'n' in opts
 
-        contents = self.shell.find_user_code(args)
+        contents = self.shell.find_user_code(args, search_ns=search_ns)
 
         if 's' in opts:
             try:
diff --git a/docs/source/interactive/qtconsole.rst b/docs/source/interactive/qtconsole.rst
index d6397ae..0394569 100644
--- a/docs/source/interactive/qtconsole.rst
+++ b/docs/source/interactive/qtconsole.rst
@@ -57,6 +57,17 @@ for playing with examples from documentation, such as matplotlib.
        ...:
        ...: plt.show()
 
+The ``%load`` magic can also load source code from objects in the user or 
+global namespace by invoking the ``-n`` option.
+
+.. sourcecode:: ipython
+
+   In [1]: import hello_world
+      ...: %load -n hello_world.say_hello
+
+   In [3]: def say_hello() :
+      ...:    print("Hello World!") 
+
 Inline Matplotlib
 =================
 
diff --git a/docs/source/whatsnew/pr/load_from_namespace.rst b/docs/source/whatsnew/pr/load_from_namespace.rst
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..25d33b7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/source/whatsnew/pr/load_from_namespace.rst
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+Adds object inspection to %load magic so that source for objects in user or global namespaces can be loaded. To enable searching the namespace, use the ``-n`` option.
+
+.. sourcecode:: ipython
+
+    In [1]: %load -n my_module.some_function
+