diff --git a/draftlogs/7925_add.md b/draftlogs/7925_add.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..aa89858fb6b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/draftlogs/7925_add.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+- Add `layout.legend.itemheight` to set the height of the legend fill swatch, so more of a trace `fillpattern` is visible in the legend [[#7925](https://github.com/plotly/plotly.js/pull/7925)]
diff --git a/src/components/legend/attributes.js b/src/components/legend/attributes.js
index 3fb8e5781e9..39935993797 100644
--- a/src/components/legend/attributes.js
+++ b/src/components/legend/attributes.js
@@ -141,6 +141,17 @@ module.exports = {
         editType: 'legend',
         description: 'Sets the width (in px) of the legend item symbols (the part other than the title.text).',
     },
+    itemheight: {
+        valType: 'number',
+        min: 6,
+        dflt: 6,
+        editType: 'legend',
+        description: [
+            'Sets the height (in px) of the legend item fill swatch.',
+            'Increasing it reveals more of a trace *fill* or *fillpattern* in the legend,',
+            'and grows the legend item to fit.',
+        ].join(' '),
+    },
     itemclick: {
         valType: 'enumerated',
         values: ['toggle', 'toggleothers', false],
diff --git a/src/components/legend/defaults.js b/src/components/legend/defaults.js
index eb8a6212a0f..b038c5b19f4 100644
--- a/src/components/legend/defaults.js
+++ b/src/components/legend/defaults.js
@@ -219,6 +219,7 @@ function groupDefaults(legendId, layoutIn, layoutOut, fullData, legendCount) {
     coerce('indentation');
     coerce('itemsizing');
     coerce('itemwidth');
+    coerce('itemheight');
 
     coerce('itemclick');
     coerce('itemdoubleclick');
diff --git a/src/components/legend/draw.js b/src/components/legend/draw.js
index cf6439f0cf8..00841d6bcc8 100644
--- a/src/components/legend/draw.js
+++ b/src/components/legend/draw.js
@@ -826,7 +826,7 @@ function computeTextDimensions(g, gd, legendObj, aTitle) {
         legendObj._titleHeight = height;
     } else { // legend item
         legendItem.lineHeight = lineHeight;
-        legendItem.height = Math.max(height, 16) + 3;
+        legendItem.height = Math.max(height, 16, legendObj.itemheight + 10) + 3;
         legendItem.width = width;
     }
 }
diff --git a/src/components/legend/style.js b/src/components/legend/style.js
index d2b3350c0c8..8c67ee7e17c 100644
--- a/src/components/legend/style.js
+++ b/src/components/legend/style.js
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ module.exports = function style(s, gd, legend) {
     if (!legend) legend = fullLayout.legend;
     var constantItemSizing = legend.itemsizing === 'constant';
     var itemWidth = legend.itemwidth;
+    var itemHeight = legend.itemheight;
     var centerPos = (itemWidth + constants.itemGap * 2) / 2;
     var centerTransform = strTranslate(centerPos, 0);
 
@@ -139,7 +140,7 @@ module.exports = function style(s, gd, legend) {
             .data(showFill || showGradientFill ? [d] : []);
         fill.enter().append('path').classed('js-fill', true);
         fill.exit().remove();
-        fill.attr('d', pathStart + 'h' + itemWidth + 'v6h-' + itemWidth + 'z').call(fillStyle);
+        fill.attr('d', pathStart + 'h' + itemWidth + 'v' + itemHeight + 'h-' + itemWidth + 'z').call(fillStyle);
 
         if (showLine || showGradientLine) {
             var lw = boundLineWidth(undefined, trace.line, MAX_LINE_WIDTH, CST_LINE_WIDTH);
diff --git a/test/jasmine/tests/legend_test.js b/test/jasmine/tests/legend_test.js
index c5b252da9b1..0270f38af78 100644
--- a/test/jasmine/tests/legend_test.js
+++ b/test/jasmine/tests/legend_test.js
@@ -83,6 +83,21 @@ describe('legend defaults', function () {
         expect(layoutOut.showlegend).toBe(false);
     });
 
+    it('defaults itemheight to 6 and clamps values below the minimum', function () {
+        fullData = allShown([{ type: 'scatter' }, { type: 'scatter' }]);
+
+        supplyLayoutDefaults({}, layoutOut, fullData);
+        expect(layoutOut.legend.itemheight).toBe(6);
+
+        layoutOut = { font: Plots.layoutAttributes.font, bg_color: Plots.layoutAttributes.bg_color };
+        supplyLayoutDefaults({ showlegend: true, legend: { itemheight: 1 } }, layoutOut, fullData);
+        expect(layoutOut.legend.itemheight).toBe(6);
+
+        layoutOut = { font: Plots.layoutAttributes.font, bg_color: Plots.layoutAttributes.bg_color };
+        supplyLayoutDefaults({ showlegend: true, legend: { itemheight: 24 } }, layoutOut, fullData);
+        expect(layoutOut.legend.itemheight).toBe(24);
+    });
+
     it('shows with one visible pie', function () {
         fullData = allShown([{ type: 'pie' }]);
 
@@ -3498,4 +3513,135 @@ describe('legend title click', function() {
             }
         }).then(done, done.fail);
     });
-});
\ No newline at end of file
+});
+describe('legend itemheight:', function() {
+    'use strict';
+
+    var gd;
+
+    beforeEach(function() {
+        gd = createGraphDiv();
+    });
+
+    afterEach(destroyGraphDiv);
+
+    function fillPathD() {
+        return d3Select(gd).select('g.legendfill').select('path').attr('d');
+    }
+
+    function linePathD() {
+        return d3Select(gd).select('g.legendlines').select('path').attr('d');
+    }
+
+    // The toggle rect is sized to the computed row height, see setRect in draw.js
+    function rowHeights() {
+        var heights = [];
+        d3Select(gd).selectAll('rect.legendtoggle').each(function() {
+            heights.push(+this.getAttribute('height'));
+        });
+        return heights;
+    }
+
+    var filled = [
+        { x: [1, 2], y: [1, 2], fill: 'tozeroy', name: 'a' },
+        { x: [1, 2], y: [2, 3], fill: 'tozeroy', name: 'b' }
+    ];
+
+    it('reproduces the historical 6px swatch at the default', function(done) {
+        Plotly.newPlot(gd, filled, { showlegend: true })
+            .then(function() {
+                expect(gd._fullLayout.legend.itemheight).toBe(6);
+                expect(fillPathD()).toBe('M5,0h30v6h-30z');
+            })
+            .then(done, done.fail);
+    });
+
+    it('grows the fill swatch to the requested height', function(done) {
+        Plotly.newPlot(gd, filled, { showlegend: true, legend: { itemheight: 24 } })
+            .then(function() {
+                expect(fillPathD()).toBe('M5,0h30v24h-30z');
+            })
+            .then(done, done.fail);
+    });
+
+    it('grows the swatch downwards, leaving the line on top of the fill', function(done) {
+        var dfltLine;
+
+        Plotly.newPlot(gd, filled, { showlegend: true })
+            .then(function() {
+                dfltLine = linePathD();
+                return Plotly.relayout(gd, 'legend.itemheight', 30);
+            })
+            .then(function() {
+                // the line marks the top edge of the fill, exactly as in the plot itself
+                expect(linePathD()).toBe(dfltLine);
+                expect(fillPathD()).toBe('M5,0h30v30h-30z');
+            })
+            .then(done, done.fail);
+    });
+
+    it('does not move the swatch of a trace without fill', function(done) {
+        var unfilled = [
+            { x: [1, 2], y: [1, 2], name: 'a' },
+            { x: [1, 2], y: [2, 3], name: 'b' }
+        ];
+        var dfltLine;
+
+        Plotly.newPlot(gd, unfilled, { showlegend: true })
+            .then(function() {
+                dfltLine = linePathD();
+                return Plotly.relayout(gd, 'legend.itemheight', 40);
+            })
+            .then(function() {
+                expect(linePathD()).toBe(dfltLine);
+            })
+            .then(done, done.fail);
+    });
+
+    it('grows each legend row so taller swatches do not overlap', function(done) {
+        var dflt;
+
+        Plotly.newPlot(gd, filled, { showlegend: true })
+            .then(function() {
+                dflt = rowHeights();
+                expect(dflt.length).toBe(2);
+                return Plotly.relayout(gd, 'legend.itemheight', 40);
+            })
+            .then(function() {
+                var grown = rowHeights();
+                expect(grown.length).toBe(dflt.length);
+                grown.forEach(function(h, i) {
+                    expect(h).toBeGreaterThan(dflt[i]);
+                    // Math.max(textHeight, 16, itemheight + 10) + 3
+                    expect(h).toBe(53);
+                });
+            })
+            .then(done, done.fail);
+    });
+
+    it('leaves row heights untouched at the default', function(done) {
+        var dflt;
+
+        Plotly.newPlot(gd, filled, { showlegend: true })
+            .then(function() {
+                dflt = rowHeights();
+                return Plotly.relayout(gd, 'legend.itemheight', 6);
+            })
+            .then(function() {
+                expect(rowHeights()).toEqual(dflt);
+            })
+            .then(done, done.fail);
+    });
+
+    it('applies to unified hover labels without error', function(done) {
+        Plotly.newPlot(gd, filled, {
+            showlegend: true,
+            hovermode: 'x unified',
+            legend: { itemheight: 18 }
+        })
+            .then(function() {
+                expect(gd._fullLayout.legend.itemheight).toBe(18);
+            })
+            .then(done, done.fail);
+    });
+});
diff --git a/test/plot-schema.json b/test/plot-schema.json
index 78614b86693..45529f6db85 100644
--- a/test/plot-schema.json
+++ b/test/plot-schema.json
@@ -3464,6 +3464,13 @@
             false
           ]
         },
+        "itemheight": {
+          "description": "Sets the height (in px) of the legend item fill swatch. Increasing it reveals more of a trace *fill* or *fillpattern* in the legend, and grows the legend item to fit.",
+          "dflt": 6,
+          "editType": "legend",
+          "min": 6,
+          "valType": "number"
+        },
         "itemsizing": {
           "description": "Determines if the legend items symbols scale with their corresponding *trace* attributes or remain *constant* independent of the symbol size on the graph.",
           "dflt": "trace",