diff --git a/src/borg/testsuite/xattr.py b/src/borg/testsuite/xattr.py
index 709d773e0..4802637e4 100644
--- a/src/borg/testsuite/xattr.py
+++ b/src/borg/testsuite/xattr.py
@@ -44,13 +44,13 @@ class XattrTestCase(BaseTestCase):
     def test_listxattr_buffer_growth(self):
         # make it work even with ext4, which imposes rather low limits
         buffer.resize(size=64, init=True)
-        # xattr raw key list will be size 9 * (10 + 1), which is > 64
-        keys = ['user.attr%d' % i for i in range(9)]
+        # xattr raw key list will be > 64
+        keys = ['user.attr%d' % i for i in range(20)]
         for key in keys:
             setxattr(self.tmpfile.name, key, b'x')
         got_keys = listxattr(self.tmpfile.name)
         self.assert_equal_se(got_keys, keys)
-        self.assert_equal(len(buffer), 128)
+        self.assert_true(len(buffer) > 64)
 
     def test_getxattr_buffer_growth(self):
         # make it work even with ext4, which imposes rather low limits
diff --git a/src/borg/xattr.py b/src/borg/xattr.py
index 4d23df943..abe8e587f 100644
--- a/src/borg/xattr.py
+++ b/src/borg/xattr.py
@@ -323,6 +323,7 @@ elif sys.platform.startswith('freebsd'):  # pragma: freebsd only
     libc.extattr_set_file.argtypes = (c_char_p, c_int, c_char_p, c_char_p, c_size_t)
     libc.extattr_set_file.restype = c_int
     ns = EXTATTR_NAMESPACE_USER = 0x0001
+    prefix = 'user.'
 
     def listxattr(path, *, follow_symlinks=True):
         def func(path, buf, size):
@@ -335,7 +336,7 @@ elif sys.platform.startswith('freebsd'):  # pragma: freebsd only
                     return libc.extattr_list_link(path, ns, buf, size)
 
         n, buf = _listxattr_inner(func, path)
-        return [os.fsdecode(name) for name in split_lstring(buf[:n]) if name]
+        return [prefix + os.fsdecode(name) for name in split_lstring(buf[:n]) if name]
 
     def getxattr(path, name, *, follow_symlinks=True):
         def func(path, name, buf, size):
@@ -347,6 +348,10 @@ elif sys.platform.startswith('freebsd'):  # pragma: freebsd only
                 else:
                     return libc.extattr_get_link(path, ns, name, buf, size)
 
+        # strip namespace if there, but ignore if not there.
+        # older borg / attic versions did not prefix the namespace to the names.
+        if name.startswith(prefix):
+            name = name[len(prefix):]
         n, buf = _getxattr_inner(func, path, name)
         return buf[:n] or None
 
@@ -360,6 +365,10 @@ elif sys.platform.startswith('freebsd'):  # pragma: freebsd only
                 else:
                     return libc.extattr_set_link(path, ns, name, value, size)
 
+        # strip namespace if there, but ignore if not there.
+        # older borg / attic versions did not prefix the namespace to the names.
+        if name.startswith(prefix):
+            name = name[len(prefix):]
         _setxattr_inner(func, path, name, value)
 
 else:  # pragma: unknown platform only