diff --git a/franka_description/robots/dual_panda_example.urdf.xacro b/franka_description/robots/dual_panda_example.urdf.xacro
index f98c133bf..a3013f960 100644
--- a/franka_description/robots/dual_panda_example.urdf.xacro
+++ b/franka_description/robots/dual_panda_example.urdf.xacro
@@ -27,10 +27,10 @@
 
   <!-- right arm with gripper -->
   <xacro:panda_arm arm_id="$(arg arm_id_1)" connected_to="base"  xyz="0 -0.5 1" safety_distance="0.03"/>
-  <xacro:hand ns="$(arg arm_id_1)" rpy="0 0 ${-pi/4}" connected_to="$(arg arm_id_1)_link8" safety_distance="0.03"/>
+  <xacro:hand prefix="$(arg arm_id_1)" rpy="0 0 ${-pi/4}" connected_to="$(arg arm_id_1)_link8" safety_distance="0.03" />
 
   <!-- left arm with gripper -->
   <xacro:panda_arm arm_id="$(arg arm_id_2)" connected_to="base"  xyz="0 0.5 1" safety_distance="0.03"/>
-  <xacro:hand ns="$(arg arm_id_2)" rpy="0 0 ${-pi/4}" connected_to="$(arg arm_id_2)_link8" safety_distance="0.03"/>
+  <xacro:hand prefix="$(arg arm_id_2)" rpy="0 0 ${-pi/4}" connected_to="$(arg arm_id_2)_link8" safety_distance="0.03" />
 
 </robot>
diff --git a/franka_description/robots/hand.urdf.xacro b/franka_description/robots/hand.urdf.xacro
index a50b18ce2..aa5c1cfb6 100644
--- a/franka_description/robots/hand.urdf.xacro
+++ b/franka_description/robots/hand.urdf.xacro
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
 <robot xmlns:xacro="http://www.ros.org/wiki/xacro" name="hand">
   <xacro:include filename="hand.xacro"/>
-  <xacro:hand ns="panda" safety_distance="0.03"/>
+  <xacro:hand prefix="panda" safety_distance="0.03" />
 </robot>
diff --git a/franka_description/robots/hand.xacro b/franka_description/robots/hand.xacro
index ac6213a8b..622e8d2dd 100644
--- a/franka_description/robots/hand.xacro
+++ b/franka_description/robots/hand.xacro
@@ -1,15 +1,20 @@
 <?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
 <robot xmlns:xacro="http://www.ros.org/wiki/xacro" name="hand">
   <!-- safety_distance: Minimum safety distance in [m] by which the collision volumes are expanded and which is enforced during robot motions -->
-  <xacro:macro name="hand" params="connected_to:='' ns:='' rpy:='0 0 0' xyz:='0 0 0' safety_distance:=0">
+  <xacro:macro name="hand" params="connected_to:='' prefix:='' ns:='' rpy:='0 0 0' xyz:='0 0 0' safety_distance:=0">
+    <xacro:if value="${ns != ''}">
+      ${xacro.warning("xacro:hand: argument ns is deprecated. Use prefix instead.")}
+      <xacro:property name="prefix" value="${ns}"/>
+    </xacro:if>
+
     <xacro:unless value="${connected_to == ''}">
-      <joint name="${ns}_hand_joint" type="fixed">
+      <joint name="${prefix}_hand_joint" type="fixed">
         <parent link="${connected_to}"/>
-        <child link="${ns}_hand"/>
+        <child link="${prefix}_hand" />
         <origin xyz="${xyz}" rpy="${rpy}"/>
       </joint>
     </xacro:unless>
-    <link name="${ns}_hand">
+    <link name="${prefix}_hand">
       <visual>
         <geometry>
           <mesh filename="package://franka_description/meshes/visual/hand.dae"/>
@@ -53,20 +58,20 @@
       </collision>
     </link>
     <!-- Define the hand_tcp frame -->
-    <link name="${ns}_hand_tcp" />
-    <joint name="${ns}_hand_tcp_joint" type="fixed">
+    <link name="${prefix}_hand_tcp" />
+    <joint name="${prefix}_hand_tcp_joint" type="fixed">
       <origin xyz="0 0 0.1034" rpy="0 0 0" />
-      <parent link="${ns}_hand" />
-      <child link="${ns}_hand_tcp" />
+      <parent link="${prefix}_hand" />
+      <child link="${prefix}_hand_tcp" />
     </joint>
-    <link name="${ns}_leftfinger">
+    <link name="${prefix}_leftfinger">
       <visual>
         <geometry>
           <mesh filename="package://franka_description/meshes/visual/finger.dae"/>
         </geometry>
       </visual>
     </link>
-    <link name="${ns}_rightfinger">
+    <link name="${prefix}_rightfinger">
       <visual>
         <origin xyz="0 0 0" rpy="0 0 ${pi}"/>
         <geometry>
@@ -74,20 +79,20 @@
         </geometry>
       </visual>
    </link>
-    <joint name="${ns}_finger_joint1" type="prismatic">
-      <parent link="${ns}_hand"/>
-      <child link="${ns}_leftfinger"/>
+    <joint name="${prefix}_finger_joint1" type="prismatic">
+      <parent link="${prefix}_hand" />
+      <child link="${prefix}_leftfinger" />
       <origin xyz="0 0 0.0584" rpy="0 0 0"/>
       <axis xyz="0 1 0"/>
       <limit effort="20" lower="0.0" upper="0.04" velocity="0.2"/>
     </joint>
-    <joint name="${ns}_finger_joint2" type="prismatic">
-      <parent link="${ns}_hand"/>
-      <child link="${ns}_rightfinger"/>
+    <joint name="${prefix}_finger_joint2" type="prismatic">
+      <parent link="${prefix}_hand" />
+      <child link="${prefix}_rightfinger" />
       <origin xyz="0 0 0.0584" rpy="0 0 0"/>
       <axis xyz="0 -1 0"/>
       <limit effort="20" lower="0.0" upper="0.04" velocity="0.2"/>
-      <mimic joint="${ns}_finger_joint1" />
+      <mimic joint="${prefix}_finger_joint1" />
     </joint>
   </xacro:macro>
 </robot>
diff --git a/franka_description/robots/panda_arm.urdf.xacro b/franka_description/robots/panda_arm.urdf.xacro
index 0b607f9cf..9e3ee03ed 100644
--- a/franka_description/robots/panda_arm.urdf.xacro
+++ b/franka_description/robots/panda_arm.urdf.xacro
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 
     <xacro:if value="$(arg hand)">
       <xacro:include filename="$(find franka_description)/robots/hand.xacro"/>
-      <xacro:hand ns="$(arg arm_id)" rpy="0 0 ${-pi/4}" connected_to="$(arg arm_id)_link8" safety_distance="0.03"/>
+      <xacro:hand prefix="$(arg arm_id)" rpy="0 0 ${-pi/4}" connected_to="$(arg arm_id)_link8" safety_distance="0.03" />
     </xacro:if>
   </xacro:unless>
 
@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@
     <xacro:panda_arm arm_id="$(arg arm_id)" />
 
     <xacro:if value="$(arg hand)">
-      <xacro:hand ns="$(arg arm_id)" rpy="0 0 ${-pi/4}" connected_to="$(arg arm_id)_link8" />
+      <xacro:hand prefix="$(arg arm_id)" rpy="0 0 ${-pi/4}" connected_to="$(arg arm_id)_link8" />
       <xacro:gazebo-joint joint="$(arg arm_id)_finger_joint1" transmission="hardware_interface/EffortJointInterface" />
       <xacro:gazebo-joint joint="$(arg arm_id)_finger_joint2" transmission="hardware_interface/EffortJointInterface" />
     </xacro:if>
diff --git a/franka_description/robots/panda_gazebo.xacro b/franka_description/robots/panda_gazebo.xacro
index 31b81bb6f..afb013a9b 100644
--- a/franka_description/robots/panda_gazebo.xacro
+++ b/franka_description/robots/panda_gazebo.xacro
@@ -270,18 +270,23 @@
 
   </xacro:macro>
 
-  <xacro:macro name="hand" params="connected_to:='' ns:='' xyz:='0 0 0' rpy:='0 0 0'">
+  <xacro:macro name="hand" params="connected_to:='' prefix:='' ns:='' xyz:='0 0 0' rpy:='0 0 0'">
     <xacro:include filename="$(find franka_description)/robots/utils.xacro"/>
 
+    <xacro:if value="${ns != ''}">
+      ${xacro.warning("xacro:hand: argument ns is deprecated. Use prefix instead.")}
+      <xacro:property name="prefix" value="${ns}" />
+    </xacro:if>
+
     <xacro:unless value="${connected_to == ''}">
-      <joint name="${ns}_hand_joint" type="fixed">
+      <joint name="${prefix}_hand_joint" type="fixed">
         <parent link="${connected_to}"/>
-        <child link="${ns}_hand"/>
+        <child link="${prefix}_hand" />
         <origin xyz="${xyz}" rpy="${rpy}"/>
       </joint>
     </xacro:unless>
 
-    <link name="${ns}_hand">
+    <link name="${prefix}_hand">
       <visual>
         <geometry>
           <mesh filename="package://franka_description/meshes/visual/hand.dae"/>
@@ -332,7 +337,7 @@
       </collision>
     </xacro:macro>
 
-    <link name="${ns}_leftfinger">
+    <link name="${prefix}_leftfinger">
       <xacro:inertia-cylinder mass="15e-3" radius="0.01" h="0.04"/>
       <visual>
         <geometry>
@@ -342,7 +347,7 @@
       <xacro:finger-collision sign="+" />
     </link>
 
-    <link name="${ns}_rightfinger">
+    <link name="${prefix}_rightfinger">
       <xacro:inertia-cylinder mass="15e-3" radius="0.01" h="0.04"/>
       <visual>
         <origin xyz="0 0 0" rpy="0 0 ${pi}"/>
@@ -355,21 +360,21 @@
 
     <!-- Friction specific material for Rubber/Rubber contact -->
     <!-- See: -->
-    <xacro:gazebo-friction link="${ns}_leftfinger" mu="1.13" />
-    <xacro:gazebo-friction link="${ns}_rightfinger" mu="1.13" />
+    <xacro:gazebo-friction link="${prefix}_leftfinger" mu="1.13" />
+    <xacro:gazebo-friction link="${prefix}_rightfinger" mu="1.13" />
 
-    <joint name="${ns}_finger_joint1" type="prismatic">
-      <parent link="${ns}_hand"/>
-      <child link="${ns}_leftfinger"/>
+    <joint name="${prefix}_finger_joint1" type="prismatic">
+      <parent link="${prefix}_hand" />
+      <child link="${prefix}_leftfinger" />
       <origin xyz="0 0 0.0584" rpy="0 0 0"/>
       <axis xyz="0 1 0"/>
       <limit effort="20" lower="0.0" upper="0.04" velocity="0.2"/>
       <dynamics friction="0.0" damping="0.03"/>
     </joint>
 
-    <joint name="${ns}_finger_joint2" type="prismatic">
-      <parent link="${ns}_hand"/>
-      <child link="${ns}_rightfinger"/>
+    <joint name="${prefix}_finger_joint2" type="prismatic">
+      <parent link="${prefix}_hand" />
+      <child link="${prefix}_rightfinger" />
       <origin xyz="0 0 0.0584" rpy="0 0 0"/>
       <axis xyz="0 -1 0"/>
       <limit effort="20" lower="0.0" upper="0.04" velocity="0.2"/>