diff --git a/src/marks/axis.js b/src/marks/axis.js
index 6a3d51f847..9e090db33e 100644
--- a/src/marks/axis.js
+++ b/src/marks/axis.js
@@ -488,6 +488,7 @@ function labelOptions(
     fontFamily,
     fontSize,
     fontStyle,
+    fontVariant,
     fontWeight,
     monospace,
     pointerEvents,
@@ -508,6 +509,7 @@ function labelOptions(
     fontFamily,
     fontSize,
     fontStyle,
+    fontVariant,
     fontWeight,
     monospace,
     pointerEvents,
diff --git a/test/output/axisLabelFontVariant.svg b/test/output/axisLabelFontVariant.svg
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..b9bc640b1a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/output/axisLabelFontVariant.svg
@@ -0,0 +1,33 @@
+<svg class="plot" fill="currentColor" font-family="system-ui, sans-serif" font-size="10" text-anchor="middle" width="640" height="60" viewBox="0 0 640 60" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">
+  <style>
+    .plot {
+      display: block;
+      background: white;
+      height: auto;
+      height: intrinsic;
+      max-width: 100%;
+    }
+
+    .plot text,
+    .plot tspan {
+      white-space: pre;
+    }
+  </style>
+  <g aria-label="x-axis tick" fill="none" stroke="currentColor" transform="translate(0.5,0)">
+    <path transform="translate(80,30)" d="M0,0L0,6"></path>
+    <path transform="translate(200,30)" d="M0,0L0,6"></path>
+    <path transform="translate(320,30)" d="M0,0L0,6"></path>
+    <path transform="translate(440,30)" d="M0,0L0,6"></path>
+    <path transform="translate(560,30)" d="M0,0L0,6"></path>
+  </g>
+  <g aria-label="x-axis tick label" font-variant="small-caps" transform="translate(0.5,9.5)">
+    <text y="0.71em" transform="translate(80,30)">a</text>
+    <text y="0.71em" transform="translate(200,30)">b</text>
+    <text y="0.71em" transform="translate(320,30)">c</text>
+    <text y="0.71em" transform="translate(440,30)">d</text>
+    <text y="0.71em" transform="translate(560,30)">e</text>
+  </g>
+  <g aria-label="x-axis label" font-variant="small-caps" transform="translate(0.5,27.5)">
+    <text transform="translate(320,30)">Letter</text>
+  </g>
+</svg>
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/test/plots/axis-labels.ts b/test/plots/axis-labels.ts
index fac2f941d6..2948f8c8b1 100644
--- a/test/plots/axis-labels.ts
+++ b/test/plots/axis-labels.ts
@@ -52,6 +52,13 @@ export async function axisLabelBothReverse() {
   });
 }
 
+export async function axisLabelFontVariant() {
+  return Plot.plot({
+    x: {domain: "abcde"},
+    marks: [Plot.axisX({label: "Letter", fontVariant: "small-caps"})]
+  });
+}
+
 export async function axisLabelVaryingFill() {
   return Plot.plot({
     x: {domain: "ABCDEF"},