diff --git a/plugins/module_utils/crypto/module_backends/csr.py b/plugins/module_utils/crypto/module_backends/csr.py
index 7010a0fd..5acfea32 100644
--- a/plugins/module_utils/crypto/module_backends/csr.py
+++ b/plugins/module_utils/crypto/module_backends/csr.py
@@ -130,11 +130,11 @@ class CertificateSigningRequestBackend(object):
             ('CN', module.params['common_name']),
             ('emailAddress', module.params['email_address']),
         ]
+        self.subject = [(entry[0], entry[1]) for entry in self.subject if entry[1]]
 
         try:
             if module.params['subject']:
                 self.subject = self.subject + parse_name_field(module.params['subject'], 'subject')
-            self.subject = [(entry[0], entry[1]) for entry in self.subject if entry[1]]
             if module.params['subject_ordered']:
                 if self.subject:
                     raise CertificateSigningRequestError('subject_ordered cannot be combined with any other subject field')
diff --git a/plugins/module_utils/crypto/support.py b/plugins/module_utils/crypto/support.py
index 08c40f53..5a265498 100644
--- a/plugins/module_utils/crypto/support.py
+++ b/plugins/module_utils/crypto/support.py
@@ -239,23 +239,23 @@ def load_certificate_request(path, content=None, backend='cryptography'):
 
 def parse_name_field(input_dict, name_field_name=None):
     """Take a dict with key: value or key: list_of_values mappings and return a list of tuples"""
+    error_str = '{key}' if name_field_name is None else '{key} in {name}'
 
     result = []
     for key, value in input_dict.items():
         if isinstance(value, list):
             for entry in value:
                 if not isinstance(entry, six.string_types):
-                    if name_field_name:
-                        raise TypeError('Values for {key} in {name} must be strings'.format(key=key, name=name_field_name))
-                    raise TypeError('Values for {key} must be strings'.format(key=key))
+                    raise TypeError(('Values %s must be strings' % error_str).format(key=key, name=name_field_name))
+                if not entry:
+                    raise ValueError(('Values for %s must not be empty strings' % error_str).format(key=key))
                 result.append((key, entry))
         elif isinstance(value, six.string_types):
+            if not value:
+                raise ValueError(('Value for %s must not be an empty string' % error_str).format(key=key))
             result.append((key, value))
         else:
-            if name_field_name:
-                raise TypeError(
-                    'Value for {key} in {name} must be either a string or a list of strings'.format(key=key, name=name_field_name))
-            raise TypeError('Value for {key} must be either a string or a list of strings'.format(key=key))
+            raise TypeError(('Value for %s must be either a string or a list of strings' % error_str).format(key=key))
     return result
 
 
diff --git a/plugins/modules/x509_crl.py b/plugins/modules/x509_crl.py
index d92075ed..714db997 100644
--- a/plugins/modules/x509_crl.py
+++ b/plugins/modules/x509_crl.py
@@ -483,7 +483,6 @@ class CRL(OpenSSLObject):
             else:
                 self.issuer_ordered = False
                 self.issuer = parse_name_field(module.params['issuer'], 'issuer')
-                self.issuer = [(entry[0], entry[1]) for entry in self.issuer if entry[1]]
         except (TypeError, ValueError) as exc:
             module.fail_json(msg=to_native(exc))