diff --git a/rcl/include/rcl/arguments.h b/rcl/include/rcl/arguments.h
index 44c99f6a9..d37363999 100644
--- a/rcl/include/rcl/arguments.h
+++ b/rcl/include/rcl/arguments.h
@@ -68,6 +68,9 @@ typedef struct rcl_arguments_s
 /// The ROS flag that precedes the ROS logging level to set.
 #define RCL_LOG_LEVEL_FLAG "--log-level"
 
+/// The ROS log file name prefix to configure external logging.
+#define RCL_EXTERNAL_LOG_FILE_NAME_PREFIX "--log-file-name"
+
 /// The ROS flag that precedes the name of a configuration file to configure logging.
 #define RCL_EXTERNAL_LOG_CONFIG_FLAG "--log-config-file"
 
diff --git a/rcl/src/rcl/arguments.c b/rcl/src/rcl/arguments.c
index 85ac9d822..f094ecd8a 100644
--- a/rcl/src/rcl/arguments.c
+++ b/rcl/src/rcl/arguments.c
@@ -158,6 +158,22 @@ _rcl_parse_log_level(
   const char * arg,
   rcl_log_levels_t * log_levels);
 
+/// Parse an argument that may or may not be a log file name prefix.
+/**
+ * \param[in] arg the argument to parse
+ * \param[in] allocator an allocator to use
+ * \param[in,out] external log name file prefix
+ * \return RCL_RET_OK if a valid log file name prefix was parsed, or
+ * \return RCL_RET_BAD_ALLOC if an allocation failed, or
+ * \return RLC_RET_ERROR if an unspecified error occurred.
+ */
+RCL_LOCAL
+rcl_ret_t
+_rcl_parse_external_log_file_name(
+  const char * arg,
+  rcl_allocator_t allocator,
+  char ** log_file_name_prefix);
+
 /// Parse an argument that may or may not be a log configuration file.
 /**
  * \param[in] arg the argument to parse
@@ -436,6 +452,41 @@ rcl_parse_arguments(
         ROS_PACKAGE_NAME, "Arg %d (%s) is not a %s flag.",
         i, argv[i], RCL_LOG_LEVEL_FLAG);
 
+      // Attempt to parse argument as external log file name prefix
+      if (strcmp(RCL_EXTERNAL_LOG_FILE_NAME_PREFIX, argv[i]) == 0) {
+        if (i + 1 < argc) {
+          if (NULL != args_impl->external_log_file_name_prefix) {
+            RCUTILS_LOG_DEBUG_NAMED(
+              ROS_PACKAGE_NAME, "Overriding log file name : %s\n",
+              args_impl->external_log_file_name_prefix);
+            allocator.deallocate(args_impl->external_log_file_name_prefix, allocator.state);
+            args_impl->external_log_file_name_prefix = NULL;
+          }
+          if (RCL_RET_OK == _rcl_parse_external_log_file_name(
+              argv[i + 1], allocator, &args_impl->external_log_file_name_prefix))
+          {
+            RCUTILS_LOG_DEBUG_NAMED(
+              ROS_PACKAGE_NAME, "Got log file name prefix : %s\n",
+              args_impl->external_log_file_name_prefix);
+            ++i;  // Skip flag here, for loop will skip value.
+            continue;
+          }
+          rcl_error_string_t prev_error_string = rcl_get_error_string();
+          rcl_reset_error();
+          RCL_SET_ERROR_MSG_WITH_FORMAT_STRING(
+            "Couldn't parse log file name prefix: '%s %s'. Error: %s", argv[i], argv[i + 1],
+            prev_error_string.str);
+        } else {
+          RCL_SET_ERROR_MSG_WITH_FORMAT_STRING(
+            "Couldn't parse trailing %s flag. No string prefix provided.", argv[i]);
+        }
+        ret = RCL_RET_INVALID_ROS_ARGS;
+        goto fail;
+      }
+      RCUTILS_LOG_DEBUG_NAMED(
+        ROS_PACKAGE_NAME, "Arg %d (%s) is not a %s flag.",
+        i, argv[i], RCL_EXTERNAL_LOG_FILE_NAME_PREFIX);
+
       // Attempt to parse argument as log configuration file
       if (strcmp(RCL_EXTERNAL_LOG_CONFIG_FLAG, argv[i]) == 0) {
         if (i + 1 < argc) {
@@ -467,6 +518,9 @@ rcl_parse_arguments(
         ret = RCL_RET_INVALID_ROS_ARGS;
         goto fail;
       }
+      RCUTILS_LOG_DEBUG_NAMED(
+        ROS_PACKAGE_NAME, "Arg %d (%s) is not a %s flag.",
+        i, argv[i], RCL_EXTERNAL_LOG_CONFIG_FLAG);
 
       // Attempt to parse argument as a security enclave
       if (strcmp(RCL_ENCLAVE_FLAG, argv[i]) == 0 || strcmp(RCL_SHORT_ENCLAVE_FLAG, argv[i]) == 0) {
@@ -499,10 +553,9 @@ rcl_parse_arguments(
         ret = RCL_RET_INVALID_ROS_ARGS;
         goto fail;
       }
-
       RCUTILS_LOG_DEBUG_NAMED(
         ROS_PACKAGE_NAME, "Arg %d (%s) is not a %s flag.",
-        i, argv[i], RCL_EXTERNAL_LOG_CONFIG_FLAG);
+        i, argv[i], RCL_ENCLAVE_FLAG);
 
       // Attempt to parse --enable/disable-stdout-logs flag
       ret = _rcl_parse_disabling_flag(
@@ -975,6 +1028,12 @@ rcl_arguments_fini(
     }
     args->impl->allocator.deallocate(args->impl->enclave, args->impl->allocator.state);
 
+    if (NULL != args->impl->external_log_file_name_prefix) {
+      args->impl->allocator.deallocate(
+        args->impl->external_log_file_name_prefix, args->impl->allocator.state);
+      args->impl->external_log_file_name_prefix = NULL;
+    }
+
     if (NULL != args->impl->external_log_config_file) {
       args->impl->allocator.deallocate(
         args->impl->external_log_config_file, args->impl->allocator.state);
@@ -1966,6 +2025,23 @@ _rcl_parse_param_file(
   return RCL_RET_OK;
 }
 
+rcl_ret_t
+_rcl_parse_external_log_file_name(
+  const char * arg,
+  rcl_allocator_t allocator,
+  char ** log_file_name_prefix)
+{
+  RCL_CHECK_ARGUMENT_FOR_NULL(arg, RCL_RET_INVALID_ARGUMENT);
+  RCL_CHECK_ARGUMENT_FOR_NULL(log_file_name_prefix, RCL_RET_INVALID_ARGUMENT);
+
+  *log_file_name_prefix = rcutils_strdup(arg, allocator);
+  if (NULL == *log_file_name_prefix) {
+    RCL_SET_ERROR_MSG("Failed to allocate memory for external log file name prefix");
+    return RCL_RET_BAD_ALLOC;
+  }
+  return RCL_RET_OK;
+}
+
 rcl_ret_t
 _rcl_parse_external_log_config_file(
   const char * arg,
@@ -2048,6 +2124,7 @@ _rcl_allocate_initialized_arguments_impl(rcl_arguments_t * args, rcl_allocator_t
   args_impl->num_remap_rules = 0;
   args_impl->remap_rules = NULL;
   args_impl->log_levels = rcl_get_zero_initialized_log_levels();
+  args_impl->external_log_file_name_prefix = NULL;
   args_impl->external_log_config_file = NULL;
   args_impl->unparsed_args = NULL;
   args_impl->num_unparsed_args = 0;
diff --git a/rcl/src/rcl/arguments_impl.h b/rcl/src/rcl/arguments_impl.h
index d3aedbb42..e8d73b585 100644
--- a/rcl/src/rcl/arguments_impl.h
+++ b/rcl/src/rcl/arguments_impl.h
@@ -53,6 +53,8 @@ struct rcl_arguments_impl_s
 
   /// Log levels parsed from arguments.
   rcl_log_levels_t log_levels;
+  /// A prefix used to external log file name
+  char * external_log_file_name_prefix;
   /// A file used to configure the external logging library
   char * external_log_config_file;
   /// A boolean value indicating if the standard out handler should be used for log output
diff --git a/rcl/src/rcl/logging.c b/rcl/src/rcl/logging.c
index 627247da0..26f19a0d3 100644
--- a/rcl/src/rcl/logging.c
+++ b/rcl/src/rcl/logging.c
@@ -66,6 +66,7 @@ rcl_logging_configure_with_output_handler(
   g_logging_allocator = *allocator;
   int default_level = -1;
   rcl_log_levels_t * log_levels = &global_args->impl->log_levels;
+  const char * file_name_prefix = global_args->impl->external_log_file_name_prefix;
   const char * config_file = global_args->impl->external_log_config_file;
   g_rcl_logging_stdout_enabled = !global_args->impl->log_stdout_disabled;
   g_rcl_logging_rosout_enabled = !global_args->impl->log_rosout_disabled;
@@ -100,7 +101,8 @@ rcl_logging_configure_with_output_handler(
     }
   }
   if (g_rcl_logging_ext_lib_enabled) {
-    status = rcl_logging_external_initialize(config_file, g_logging_allocator);
+    status = rcl_logging_external_initialize(
+      file_name_prefix, config_file, g_logging_allocator);
     if (RCL_RET_OK == status) {
       rcl_logging_ret_t logging_status = rcl_logging_external_set_logger_level(
         NULL, default_level);