diff --git a/include/openmc/mesh.h b/include/openmc/mesh.h
index 6ae076106..f19a22c09 100644
--- a/include/openmc/mesh.h
+++ b/include/openmc/mesh.h
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ public:
   // Methods
 
   //! Update a position to the local coordinates of the mesh
-  virtual void to_local_coords(Position& r) const {};
+  virtual void local_coords(Position& r) const {};
 
   //! Return a position in the local coordinates of the mesh
   virtual Position local_coords(const Position& r) const { return r; };
@@ -257,7 +257,7 @@ public:
   PeriodicStructuredMesh() = default;
   PeriodicStructuredMesh(pugi::xml_node node) : StructuredMesh {node} {};
 
-  void to_local_coords(Position& r) const override { r -= origin_; };
+  void local_coords(Position& r) const override { r -= origin_; };
 
   Position local_coords(const Position& r) const override
   {
@@ -265,7 +265,7 @@ public:
   };
 
   // Data members
-  Position origin_ {0.0, 0.0, 0.0};
+  Position origin_ {0.0, 0.0, 0.0}; //!< Origin of the mesh
 };
 
 //==============================================================================
diff --git a/src/mesh.cpp b/src/mesh.cpp
index eca1d2a3f..9020a95aa 100644
--- a/src/mesh.cpp
+++ b/src/mesh.cpp
@@ -446,8 +446,8 @@ void StructuredMesh::raytrace_mesh(
 
   // translate start and end positions,
   // this needs to come after the get_indices call because it does its own translation
-  to_local_coords(r0);
-  to_local_coords(r1);
+  local_coords(r0);
+  local_coords(r1);
 
   // Calculate initial distances to next surfaces in all three dimensions
   std::array<MeshDistance, 3> distances;
@@ -977,7 +977,7 @@ std::string CylindricalMesh::get_mesh_type() const
 StructuredMesh::MeshIndex CylindricalMesh::get_indices(
   Position r, bool& in_mesh) const
 {
-  to_local_coords(r);
+  local_coords(r);
 
   Position mapped_r;
   mapped_r[0] = std::hypot(r.x, r.y);
@@ -1215,7 +1215,7 @@ std::string SphericalMesh::get_mesh_type() const
 StructuredMesh::MeshIndex SphericalMesh::get_indices(
   Position r, bool& in_mesh) const
 {
-  to_local_coords(r);
+  local_coords(r);
 
   Position mapped_r;
   mapped_r[0] = r.norm();