diff --git a/docs/module/pytest.md b/docs/module/pytest.md
index 80d7f6a..cf6e448 100644
--- a/docs/module/pytest.md
+++ b/docs/module/pytest.md
@@ -89,7 +89,7 @@ async with create_db_session(
 
 ## Parallel testing with pytest-xdist
 
-The fixtures above work with `pytest-xdist` out of the box. Each worker gets its own database suffixed with the worker name (e.g. `myapp_gw0`, `myapp_gw1`).
+The fixtures above work with `pytest-xdist` out of the box. Each worker gets its own database named after the worker (e.g. `gw0`, `gw1`). Pass `prefix` to namespace the database (e.g. `prefix="myapp"` → `myapp_gw0`).
 
 Use [`worker_database_url`](../reference/pytest.md#fastapi_toolsets.pytest.utils.worker_database_url) to derive the per-worker URL manually if needed:
 
@@ -97,6 +97,10 @@ Use [`worker_database_url`](../reference/pytest.md#fastapi_toolsets.pytest.utils
 from fastapi_toolsets.pytest import worker_database_url
 
 url = worker_database_url("postgresql+asyncpg://user:pass@localhost/myapp", default_test_db="test")
+# → "postgresql+asyncpg://user:pass@localhost/gw0" under xdist
+# → "postgresql+asyncpg://user:pass@localhost/test" otherwise
+
+url = worker_database_url("postgresql+asyncpg://user:pass@localhost/myapp", default_test_db="test", prefix="myapp")
 # → "postgresql+asyncpg://user:pass@localhost/myapp_gw0" under xdist
 # → "postgresql+asyncpg://user:pass@localhost/myapp_test" otherwise
 ```
diff --git a/src/fastapi_toolsets/pytest/utils.py b/src/fastapi_toolsets/pytest/utils.py
index 40a4bdd..94f61bd 100644
--- a/src/fastapi_toolsets/pytest/utils.py
+++ b/src/fastapi_toolsets/pytest/utils.py
@@ -34,12 +34,18 @@ def _get_xdist_worker(default_test_db: str) -> str:
     return os.environ.get("PYTEST_XDIST_WORKER", default_test_db)
 
 
-def worker_database_url(database_url: str, default_test_db: str) -> str:
+def worker_database_url(
+    database_url: str,
+    default_test_db: str,
+    *,
+    prefix: str | None = None,
+) -> str:
     """Derive a per-worker database URL for pytest-xdist parallel runs.
 
-    Appends ``_{worker_name}`` to the database name so each xdist worker
-    operates on its own database.  When not running under xdist,
-    ``_{default_test_db}`` is appended instead.
+    Sets the database name to the worker name so each xdist worker operates
+    on its own database.  When not running under xdist, *default_test_db* is
+    used instead.  When *prefix* is provided, the name becomes
+    ``{prefix}_{worker}``.
 
     The worker name is read from the ``PYTEST_XDIST_WORKER`` environment
     variable (set automatically by xdist in each worker process).
@@ -48,6 +54,9 @@ def worker_database_url(database_url: str, default_test_db: str) -> str:
         database_url: Original database connection URL.
         default_test_db: Suffix appended to the database name when
             ``PYTEST_XDIST_WORKER`` is not set.
+        prefix: Optional prefix prepended to the worker name
+            (e.g. ``"test"`` → ``"test_gw0"``).  Without it, the database
+            name is just the worker name (e.g. ``"gw0"``).
 
     Returns:
         A database URL with a worker- or default-specific database name.
@@ -55,7 +64,8 @@ def worker_database_url(database_url: str, default_test_db: str) -> str:
     worker = _get_xdist_worker(default_test_db=default_test_db)
 
     url = make_url(database_url)
-    url = url.set(database=f"{url.database}_{worker}")
+    db_name = f"{prefix}_{worker}" if prefix else worker
+    url = url.set(database=db_name)
     return url.render_as_string(hide_password=False)
 
 
@@ -64,6 +74,7 @@ async def create_worker_database(
     database_url: str,
     default_test_db: str = "test_db",
     *,
+    prefix: str | None = None,
     server_url: str | None = None,
 ) -> AsyncGenerator[str, None]:
     """Create and drop a per-worker database for pytest-xdist isolation.
@@ -80,6 +91,9 @@ async def create_worker_database(
             the worker database name).
         default_test_db: Suffix appended to the database name when
             ``PYTEST_XDIST_WORKER`` is not set. Defaults to ``"test_db"``.
+        prefix: Optional prefix prepended to the worker name
+            (e.g. ``prefix="test"`` → ``"test_gw0"``).  Without it, the
+            database name is just the worker name (e.g. ``"gw0"``).
         server_url: URL used for server-level DDL (must point to an existing
             database on the same server).  Defaults to *database_url* with the
             database omitted, letting asyncpg fall back to the username.
@@ -107,7 +121,7 @@ async def create_worker_database(
         ```
     """
     worker_url = worker_database_url(
-        database_url=database_url, default_test_db=default_test_db
+        database_url=database_url, default_test_db=default_test_db, prefix=prefix
     )
     worker_db_name = make_url(worker_url).database
     assert worker_db_name is not None
diff --git a/tests/test_pytest.py b/tests/test_pytest.py
index 7ae3f0c..6cd01e1 100644
--- a/tests/test_pytest.py
+++ b/tests/test_pytest.py
@@ -442,21 +442,19 @@ class TestGetXdistWorker:
 class TestWorkerDatabaseUrl:
     """Tests for worker_database_url helper."""
 
-    def test_appends_default_test_db_without_xdist(
-        self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
-    ):
-        """default_test_db is appended when not running under xdist."""
+    def test_uses_default_test_db_without_xdist(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch):
+        """default_test_db is used as the database name when not running under xdist."""
         monkeypatch.delenv("PYTEST_XDIST_WORKER", raising=False)
         url = "postgresql+asyncpg://user:pass@localhost:5432/mydb"
         result = worker_database_url(url, default_test_db="fallback")
-        assert make_url(result).database == "mydb_fallback"
+        assert make_url(result).database == "fallback"
 
-    def test_appends_worker_id_to_database_name(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch):
-        """Worker name is appended to the database name."""
+    def test_uses_worker_id_as_database_name(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch):
+        """Worker name is used as the database name."""
         monkeypatch.setenv("PYTEST_XDIST_WORKER", "gw0")
         url = "postgresql+asyncpg://user:pass@localhost:5432/db"
         result = worker_database_url(url, default_test_db="unused")
-        assert make_url(result).database == "db_gw0"
+        assert make_url(result).database == "gw0"
 
     def test_preserves_url_components(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch):
         """Host, port, username, password, and driver are preserved."""
@@ -469,7 +467,21 @@ class TestWorkerDatabaseUrl:
         assert result.password == "secret"
         assert result.host == "dbhost"
         assert result.port == 6543
-        assert result.database == "testdb_gw2"
+        assert result.database == "gw2"
+
+    def test_prefix_with_xdist(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch):
+        """prefix is prepended to the worker name when running under xdist."""
+        monkeypatch.setenv("PYTEST_XDIST_WORKER", "gw0")
+        url = "postgresql+asyncpg://user:pass@localhost:5432/mydb"
+        result = worker_database_url(url, default_test_db="unused", prefix="myapp")
+        assert make_url(result).database == "myapp_gw0"
+
+    def test_prefix_without_xdist(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch):
+        """prefix is prepended to default_test_db when not running under xdist."""
+        monkeypatch.delenv("PYTEST_XDIST_WORKER", raising=False)
+        url = "postgresql+asyncpg://user:pass@localhost:5432/mydb"
+        result = worker_database_url(url, default_test_db="test", prefix="myapp")
+        assert make_url(result).database == "myapp_test"
 
 
 class TestCreateWorkerDatabase:
@@ -479,7 +491,7 @@ class TestCreateWorkerDatabase:
     async def test_creates_default_db_without_xdist(
         self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch
     ):
-        """Without xdist, creates a database suffixed with default_test_db."""
+        """Without xdist, creates a database named after default_test_db."""
         monkeypatch.delenv("PYTEST_XDIST_WORKER", raising=False)
         default_test_db = "no_xdist_default"
         expected_db = make_url(
@@ -655,6 +667,36 @@ class TestCreateWorkerDatabase:
         if lingering_engine:
             await lingering_engine.dispose()
 
+    @pytest.mark.anyio
+    async def test_prefix_names_database(self, monkeypatch: pytest.MonkeyPatch):
+        """prefix is prepended to the worker name in the created database."""
+        monkeypatch.setenv("PYTEST_XDIST_WORKER", "gw_prefix")
+        expected_db = make_url(
+            worker_database_url(DATABASE_URL, default_test_db="unused", prefix="pfx")
+        ).database
+        assert expected_db == "pfx_gw_prefix"
+
+        async with create_worker_database(DATABASE_URL, prefix="pfx") as url:
+            assert make_url(url).database == expected_db
+
+            engine = create_async_engine(DATABASE_URL, isolation_level="AUTOCOMMIT")
+            async with engine.connect() as conn:
+                result = await conn.execute(
+                    text("SELECT 1 FROM pg_database WHERE datname = :name"),
+                    {"name": expected_db},
+                )
+                assert result.scalar() == 1
+            await engine.dispose()
+
+        engine = create_async_engine(DATABASE_URL, isolation_level="AUTOCOMMIT")
+        async with engine.connect() as conn:
+            result = await conn.execute(
+                text("SELECT 1 FROM pg_database WHERE datname = :name"),
+                {"name": expected_db},
+            )
+            assert result.scalar() is None
+        await engine.dispose()
+
 
 class _LocalBase(DeclarativeBase):
     pass