diff --git a/lib/index.ts b/lib/index.ts
index f6ace29308..3ae2427fff 100644
--- a/lib/index.ts
+++ b/lib/index.ts
@@ -96,6 +96,11 @@ interface ServerOptions extends EngineOptions, AttachOptions {
      */
     skipMiddlewares?: boolean;
   };
+  /**
+   * whether or not to remove child namespaces that have no sockets connected to them
+   * @default false
+   */
+  cleanupEmptyChildNamespaces: boolean;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -153,6 +158,7 @@ export class Server<
    *
    */
   public engine: BaseServer;
+  public readonly cleanupEmptyChildNamespaces: boolean;
 
   /** @private */
   readonly _parser: typeof parser;
@@ -226,6 +232,7 @@ export class Server<
     this.path(opts.path || "/socket.io");
     this.connectTimeout(opts.connectTimeout || 45000);
     this.serveClient(false !== opts.serveClient);
+    this.cleanupEmptyChildNamespaces = !!opts.cleanupEmptyChildNamespaces;
     this._parser = opts.parser || parser;
     this.encoder = new this._parser.Encoder();
     this.opts = opts;
diff --git a/lib/namespace.ts b/lib/namespace.ts
index ff88e2ffe3..0dbc12296c 100644
--- a/lib/namespace.ts
+++ b/lib/namespace.ts
@@ -147,19 +147,24 @@ export class Namespace<
   /** @private */
   _ids: number = 0;
 
+  private cleanupEmptyNamespaceFunc?: (nsp: Namespace) => void;
+
   /**
    * Namespace constructor.
    *
    * @param server instance
    * @param name
+   * @param cleanupEmptyNamespaceFunc (optional) function to run if the namespace is empty
    */
   constructor(
     server: Server<ListenEvents, EmitEvents, ServerSideEvents, SocketData>,
-    name: string
+    name: string,
+    cleanupEmptyNamespaceFunc?: (nsp: Namespace) => void
   ) {
     super();
     this.server = server;
     this.name = name;
+    this.cleanupEmptyNamespaceFunc = cleanupEmptyNamespaceFunc;
     this._initAdapter();
   }
 
@@ -694,4 +699,20 @@ export class Namespace<
       this.adapter
     ).disconnectSockets(close);
   }
+
+  /**
+   * Cleans up the namespace if necessary (if the server option cleanupEmptyChildNamespaces is true and there are no sockets connected to the namespace).
+   *
+   */
+  public cleanupEmptyNamespace() {
+    if (
+      !this.server.cleanupEmptyChildNamespaces ||
+      this.sockets.size !== 0 ||
+      typeof this.cleanupEmptyNamespaceFunc !== "function"
+    ) {
+      return;
+    }
+
+    this.cleanupEmptyNamespaceFunc(this);
+  }
 }
diff --git a/lib/parent-namespace.ts b/lib/parent-namespace.ts
index c8bd56becd..0371c18443 100644
--- a/lib/parent-namespace.ts
+++ b/lib/parent-namespace.ts
@@ -52,7 +52,11 @@ export class ParentNamespace<
   createChild(
     name: string
   ): Namespace<ListenEvents, EmitEvents, ServerSideEvents, SocketData> {
-    const namespace = new Namespace(this.server, name);
+    const namespace = new Namespace(this.server, name, (nsp: Namespace) => {
+      nsp.adapter.close();
+      this.server._nsps.delete(nsp.name);
+      this.children.delete(nsp);
+    });
     namespace._fns = this._fns.slice(0);
     this.listeners("connect").forEach((listener) =>
       namespace.on("connect", listener)
diff --git a/lib/socket.ts b/lib/socket.ts
index 3314398351..4dd7389099 100644
--- a/lib/socket.ts
+++ b/lib/socket.ts
@@ -713,6 +713,7 @@ export class Socket<
     this.client._remove(this);
     this.connected = false;
     this.emitReserved("disconnect", reason);
+    this.nsp.cleanupEmptyNamespace();
     return;
   }
 
diff --git a/test/namespaces.ts b/test/namespaces.ts
index 7557e4a57b..4930933ab0 100644
--- a/test/namespaces.ts
+++ b/test/namespaces.ts
@@ -473,6 +473,34 @@ describe("namespaces", () => {
     io.of("/nsp");
   });
 
+  it("should not clean up parent namespace when cleanupEmptyChildNamespaces is on and there are no more sockets in a namespace", (done) => {
+    const io = new Server(0, { cleanupEmptyChildNamespaces: true });
+    const c1 = createClient(io, "/chat");
+
+    c1.on("connect", () => {
+      c1.disconnect();
+
+      // Give it some time to disconnect the client
+      setTimeout(() => {
+        const socket = createClient(io, "/chat");
+
+        socket.on("connect_error", () => {
+          done(
+            new Error(
+              "Client got a connect error when connecting to a parent namespace"
+            )
+          );
+        });
+
+        socket.on("connect", () => {
+          success(done, io, socket);
+        });
+      }, 500);
+    });
+
+    const nsp = io.of("/chat");
+  });
+
   describe("dynamic namespaces", () => {
     it("should allow connections to dynamic namespaces with a regex", (done) => {
       const io = new Server(0);
@@ -571,5 +599,65 @@ describe("namespaces", () => {
       one.on("message", handler);
       two.on("message", handler);
     });
+
+    it("should clean up namespace when cleanupEmptyChildNamespaces is on and there are no more sockets in a namespace", (done) => {
+      const io = new Server(0, { cleanupEmptyChildNamespaces: true });
+      const c1 = createClient(io, "/dynamic-101");
+
+      c1.on("connect", () => {
+        c1.disconnect();
+
+        // Give it some time to disconnect and clean up the namespace
+        setTimeout(() => {
+          expect(io._nsps.has("/dynamic-101")).to.be(false);
+          success(done, io);
+        }, 100);
+      });
+
+      io.of(/^\/dynamic-\d+$/);
+    });
+
+    it("should allow a client to connect to a cleaned up namespace", (done) => {
+      const io = new Server(0, { cleanupEmptyChildNamespaces: true });
+      const c1 = createClient(io, "/dynamic-101");
+
+      c1.on("connect", () => {
+        c1.disconnect();
+
+        // Give it some time to disconnect and clean up the namespace
+        setTimeout(() => {
+          const c2 = createClient(io, "/dynamic-101");
+
+          c2.on("connect", () => {
+            success(done, io, c2);
+          });
+
+          c2.on("connect_error", () => {
+            done(
+              new Error("Client got error when connecting to dynamic namespace")
+            );
+          });
+        }, 100);
+      });
+
+      io.of(/^\/dynamic-\d+$/);
+    });
+
+    it("should not clean up namespace when cleanupEmptyChildNamespaces is off and there are no more sockets in a namespace", (done) => {
+      const io = new Server(0);
+      const c1 = createClient(io, "/dynamic-101");
+
+      c1.on("connect", () => {
+        c1.disconnect();
+
+        // Give it some time to disconnect and clean up the namespace
+        setTimeout(() => {
+          expect(io._nsps.has("/dynamic-101")).to.be(true);
+          success(done, io);
+        }, 300);
+      });
+
+      io.of(/^\/dynamic-\d+$/);
+    });
   });
 });