diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 935091a1..f10453f0 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ Jupytext ChangeLog
 - The `rst2md` tests have been fixed by requiring `sphinx<8` ([#1266](https://github.com/mwouts/jupytext/issues/1266))
 
 **Added**
+- The Jupytext configuration has a new option `cell_id_to_title` that maps the cell id to a cell title ([#1263](https://github.com/mwouts/jupytext/issues/1263))
 - Jupytext is now tested with Python 3.13 ([#1242](https://github.com/mwouts/jupytext/issues/1242)). Thanks to [Jerry James](https://github.com/jamesjer) for the suggested fixes!
 
 
diff --git a/src/jupytext/combine.py b/src/jupytext/combine.py
index 4bc56a2d..fafe9163 100644
--- a/src/jupytext/combine.py
+++ b/src/jupytext/combine.py
@@ -98,6 +98,7 @@ def combine_inputs_with_outputs(nb_source, nb_outputs, fmt=None):
 
         # Cell text is taken from the source notebook
         cell.source = source_cell.source
+        cell.id = source_cell.id
 
         # We also restore the cell metadata that has been filtered
         cell.metadata = restore_filtered_metadata(
diff --git a/src/jupytext/config.py b/src/jupytext/config.py
index 3b0269b0..6f1c05d3 100644
--- a/src/jupytext/config.py
+++ b/src/jupytext/config.py
@@ -122,6 +122,12 @@ class JupytextConfiguration(Configurable):
         config=True,
     )
 
+    cell_id_to_title = Bool(
+        False,
+        help="Map the cell id to a cell title in text formats",
+        config=True,
+    )
+
     split_at_heading = Bool(
         False,
         help="Split markdown cells on headings (Markdown and R Markdown formats only)",
diff --git a/src/jupytext/jupytext.py b/src/jupytext/jupytext.py
index 80a9ed84..8585b8c0 100644
--- a/src/jupytext/jupytext.py
+++ b/src/jupytext/jupytext.py
@@ -175,6 +175,11 @@ def reads(self, s, **_):
                 filtered_cells.append(cell)
             cells = filtered_cells
 
+        if self.config.cell_id_to_title:
+            for cell in cells:
+                if "title" in cell.metadata:
+                    cell.id = cell.metadata.pop("title").replace(" ", "_")
+
         return new_notebook(cells=cells, metadata=metadata)
 
     def filter_notebook(self, nb, metadata, preserve_cell_ids=False):
@@ -283,6 +288,9 @@ def writes(self, nb, metadata=None, **kwargs):
         split_at_heading = self.fmt.get("split_at_heading", False)
 
         for cell in nb.cells:
+            if self.config.cell_id_to_title and hasattr(cell, "id"):
+                cell.metadata = {"title": cell.id, **cell.metadata}
+
             if looking_for_first_markdown_cell and cell.cell_type == "markdown":
                 cell.metadata.setdefault("cell_marker", '"""')
                 looking_for_first_markdown_cell = False
diff --git a/src/jupytext/version.py b/src/jupytext/version.py
index 1887a67d..86a823e3 100644
--- a/src/jupytext/version.py
+++ b/src/jupytext/version.py
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 """Jupytext's version number"""
 
-__version__ = "1.16.4"
+__version__ = "1.16.5-dev"
diff --git a/tests/functional/simple_notebooks/test_cell_id_to_title.py b/tests/functional/simple_notebooks/test_cell_id_to_title.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..07f1a2ae
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/functional/simple_notebooks/test_cell_id_to_title.py
@@ -0,0 +1,110 @@
+import pytest
+from nbformat.v4.nbbase import new_code_cell, new_markdown_cell, new_notebook
+
+from jupytext.compare import compare, compare_notebooks
+from jupytext.config import JupytextConfiguration
+from jupytext.jupytext import reads, writes
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def notebook_with_custom_ids(python_notebook):
+    return new_notebook(
+        metadata=python_notebook.metadata,
+        cells=[
+            new_markdown_cell(
+                id="first_markdown_cell", source="This is a markdown cell"
+            ),
+            new_code_cell(id="first_code_cell", source="1 + 1"),
+        ],
+    )
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def py_light_with_custom_ids():
+    return """# ---
+# jupyter:
+#   kernelspec:
+#     display_name: Python 3
+#     language: python
+#     name: python_kernel
+# ---
+
+# + first_markdown_cell [markdown]
+# This is a markdown cell
+
+# + first_code_cell
+1 + 1
+"""
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def py_percent_with_custom_ids():
+    return """# ---
+# jupyter:
+#   kernelspec:
+#     display_name: Python 3
+#     language: python
+#     name: python_kernel
+# ---
+
+# %% first_markdown_cell [markdown]
+# This is a markdown cell
+
+# %% first_code_cell
+1 + 1
+"""
+
+
+@pytest.fixture
+def config():
+    c = JupytextConfiguration()
+    c.cell_id_to_title = True
+    return c
+
+
+def test_cell_id_to_py_light(
+    notebook_with_custom_ids,
+    py_light_with_custom_ids,
+    config,
+    no_jupytext_version_number,
+):
+    compare(
+        writes(notebook_with_custom_ids, fmt="py:light", config=config),
+        py_light_with_custom_ids,
+    )
+
+
+def test_cell_id_from_py_light(
+    notebook_with_custom_ids,
+    py_light_with_custom_ids,
+    config,
+    no_jupytext_version_number,
+):
+    compare_notebooks(
+        reads(py_light_with_custom_ids, fmt="py:light", config=config),
+        notebook_with_custom_ids,
+    )
+
+
+def test_cell_id_to_py_percent(
+    notebook_with_custom_ids,
+    py_percent_with_custom_ids,
+    config,
+    no_jupytext_version_number,
+):
+    compare(
+        writes(notebook_with_custom_ids, fmt="py:percent", config=config),
+        py_percent_with_custom_ids,
+    )
+
+
+def test_cell_id_from_py_percent(
+    notebook_with_custom_ids,
+    py_percent_with_custom_ids,
+    config,
+    no_jupytext_version_number,
+):
+    compare_notebooks(
+        reads(py_percent_with_custom_ids, fmt="py:percent", config=config),
+        notebook_with_custom_ids,
+    )