diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types/namespacedname.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types/namespacedname.go
index 29fb4f950a4..db18ce1ce21 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types/namespacedname.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/apimachinery/pkg/types/namespacedname.go
@@ -41,7 +41,8 @@ func (n NamespacedName) String() string {
 // MarshalLog emits a struct containing required key/value pair
 func (n NamespacedName) MarshalLog() interface{} {
 	return struct {
-		Name, Namespace string
+		Name      string `json:"name"`
+		Namespace string `json:"namespace,omitempty"`
 	}{
 		Name:      n.Name,
 		Namespace: n.Namespace,
diff --git a/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/json/json_test.go b/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/json/json_test.go
index 3de190e3cdf..2c21b4af9ab 100644
--- a/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/json/json_test.go
+++ b/staging/src/k8s.io/component-base/logs/json/json_test.go
@@ -74,9 +74,14 @@ func TestZapLoggerInfo(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			msg:        "test for NamespacedName argument",
-			format:     "{\"ts\":%f,\"caller\":\"json/json_test.go:%d\",\"msg\":\"test for NamespacedName argument\",\"v\":0,\"obj\":{\"Name\":\"kube-proxy\",\"Namespace\":\"kube-system\"}}\n",
+			format:     "{\"ts\":%f,\"caller\":\"json/json_test.go:%d\",\"msg\":\"test for NamespacedName argument\",\"v\":0,\"obj\":{\"name\":\"kube-proxy\",\"namespace\":\"kube-system\"}}\n",
 			keysValues: []interface{}{"obj", types.NamespacedName{Name: "kube-proxy", Namespace: "kube-system"}},
 		},
+		{
+			msg:        "test for NamespacedName argument with no namespace",
+			format:     "{\"ts\":%f,\"caller\":\"json/json_test.go:%d\",\"msg\":\"test for NamespacedName argument with no namespace\",\"v\":0,\"obj\":{\"name\":\"kube-proxy\"}}\n",
+			keysValues: []interface{}{"obj", types.NamespacedName{Name: "kube-proxy"}},
+		},
 	}
 
 	for _, data := range testDataInfo {