diff --git a/api/builtins/PatchTransformer.go b/api/builtins/PatchTransformer.go
index 67e49fb05..da5adec48 100644
--- a/api/builtins/PatchTransformer.go
+++ b/api/builtins/PatchTransformer.go
@@ -139,9 +139,15 @@ func (p *PatchTransformerPlugin) applySMPatch(resource, patch *resource.Resource
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	return filtersutil.ApplyToJSON(patchstrategicmerge.Filter{
+	n, ns := resource.GetName(), resource.GetNamespace()
+	err = filtersutil.ApplyToJSON(patchstrategicmerge.Filter{
 		Patch: node,
 	}, resource)
+	if len(resource.Map()) != 0 {
+		resource.SetName(n)
+		resource.SetNamespace(ns)
+	}
+	return err
 }
 
 // transformJson6902 applies the provided json6902 patch
diff --git a/api/krusty/issue2896_test.go b/api/krusty/issue2896_test.go
index 524e8a1a3..67cf2094a 100644
--- a/api/krusty/issue2896_test.go
+++ b/api/krusty/issue2896_test.go
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ patches:
 apiVersion: apps/v1
 kind: Deployment
 metadata:
-  name: example
+  name: example-test-api
 spec:
   template:
     spec:
diff --git a/plugin/builtin/patchtransformer/PatchTransformer.go b/plugin/builtin/patchtransformer/PatchTransformer.go
index bde29cf61..d856453d2 100644
--- a/plugin/builtin/patchtransformer/PatchTransformer.go
+++ b/plugin/builtin/patchtransformer/PatchTransformer.go
@@ -143,9 +143,15 @@ func (p *plugin) applySMPatch(resource, patch *resource.Resource) error {
 	if err != nil {
 		return err
 	}
-	return filtersutil.ApplyToJSON(patchstrategicmerge.Filter{
+	n, ns := resource.GetName(), resource.GetNamespace()
+	err = filtersutil.ApplyToJSON(patchstrategicmerge.Filter{
 		Patch: node,
 	}, resource)
+	if len(resource.Map()) != 0 {
+		resource.SetName(n)
+		resource.SetNamespace(ns)
+	}
+	return err
 }
 
 // transformJson6902 applies the provided json6902 patch