diff --git a/libcontainer/configs/config.go b/libcontainer/configs/config.go
index 8ce881b1e9f..d43ea7860a2 100644
--- a/libcontainer/configs/config.go
+++ b/libcontainer/configs/config.go
@@ -119,7 +119,7 @@ type Config struct {
 	// Hostname optionally sets the container's hostname if provided
 	Hostname string `json:"hostname"`
 
-	// Hostname optionally sets the container's domainname if provided
+	// Domainname optionally sets the container's domainname if provided
 	Domainname string `json:"domainname"`
 
 	// Namespaces specifies the container's namespaces that it should setup when cloning the init process
diff --git a/libcontainer/configs/validate/validator.go b/libcontainer/configs/validate/validator.go
index 56313d22296..483e7a2ff3e 100644
--- a/libcontainer/configs/validate/validator.go
+++ b/libcontainer/configs/validate/validator.go
@@ -23,8 +23,7 @@ func Validate(config *configs.Config) error {
 		cgroupsCheck,
 		rootfs,
 		network,
-		hostname,
-		domainname,
+		uts,
 		security,
 		namespaces,
 		sysctl,
@@ -76,14 +75,10 @@ func network(config *configs.Config) error {
 	return nil
 }
 
-func hostname(config *configs.Config) error {
+func uts(config *configs.Config) error {
 	if config.Hostname != "" && !config.Namespaces.Contains(configs.NEWUTS) {
 		return errors.New("unable to set hostname without a private UTS namespace")
 	}
-	return nil
-}
-
-func domainname(config *configs.Config) error {
 	if config.Domainname != "" && !config.Namespaces.Contains(configs.NEWUTS) {
 		return errors.New("unable to set domainname without a private UTS namespace")
 	}
diff --git a/libcontainer/configs/validate/validator_test.go b/libcontainer/configs/validate/validator_test.go
index 6858d2719ab..f59d0f2030c 100644
--- a/libcontainer/configs/validate/validator_test.go
+++ b/libcontainer/configs/validate/validator_test.go
@@ -82,10 +82,11 @@ func TestValidateHostname(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestValidateDomainname(t *testing.T) {
+func TestValidateUTS(t *testing.T) {
 	config := &configs.Config{
 		Rootfs:     "/var",
 		Domainname: "runc",
+		Hostname:   "runc",
 		Namespaces: configs.Namespaces(
 			[]configs.Namespace{
 				{Type: configs.NEWUTS},
@@ -99,7 +100,7 @@ func TestValidateDomainname(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestValidateHostnameWithoutUTSNamespace(t *testing.T) {
+func TestValidateUTSWithoutUTSNamespace(t *testing.T) {
 	config := &configs.Config{
 		Rootfs:   "/var",
 		Hostname: "runc",
@@ -109,15 +110,13 @@ func TestValidateHostnameWithoutUTSNamespace(t *testing.T) {
 	if err == nil {
 		t.Error("Expected error to occur but it was nil")
 	}
-}
 
-func TestValidateDomainnameWithoutUTSNamespace(t *testing.T) {
-	config := &configs.Config{
+	config = &configs.Config{
 		Rootfs:     "/var",
 		Domainname: "runc",
 	}
 
-	err := Validate(config)
+	err = Validate(config)
 	if err == nil {
 		t.Error("Expected error to occur but it was nil")
 	}
diff --git a/libcontainer/standard_init_linux.go b/libcontainer/standard_init_linux.go
index 6ad25c9a4df..4b84974ec6b 100644
--- a/libcontainer/standard_init_linux.go
+++ b/libcontainer/standard_init_linux.go
@@ -126,6 +126,11 @@ func (l *linuxStandardInit) Init() error {
 			return &os.SyscallError{Syscall: "sethostname", Err: err}
 		}
 	}
+	if domainname := l.config.Config.Domainname; domainname != "" {
+		if err := unix.Setdomainname([]byte(domainname)); err != nil {
+			return &os.SyscallError{Syscall: "setdomainname", Err: err}
+		}
+	}
 	if err := apparmor.ApplyProfile(l.config.AppArmorProfile); err != nil {
 		return fmt.Errorf("unable to apply apparmor profile: %w", err)
 	}