diff --git a/manifests/api.pp b/manifests/api.pp
index eedbb714..0b37a380 100644
--- a/manifests/api.pp
+++ b/manifests/api.pp
@@ -224,7 +224,7 @@
 #   service, and you must use another class to configure that
 #   web service. For example, use class { 'barbican::wsgi::apache'...}
 #   to make barbican-api be a web app using apache mod_wsgi.
-#   Defaults to 'barbican-api'
+#   Defaults to $::barbican::params::api_service_name
 #
 # [*use_ssl*]
 #   (optional) Enable SSL on the API server
@@ -300,7 +300,7 @@ class barbican::api (
   $ca_file                                       = $::os_service_default,
   $cert_file                                     = $::os_service_default,
   $key_file                                      = $::os_service_default,
-  $service_name                                  = 'barbican-api',
+  $service_name                                  = $::barbican::params::api_service_name,
   $enable_proxy_headers_parsing                  = $::os_service_default,
   $max_request_body_size                         = $::os_service_default,
 ) inherits barbican::params {
@@ -466,10 +466,17 @@ class barbican::api (
     include barbican::db::sync
   }
 
-  if $service_name == 'barbican-api' {
+  if $service_name == 'barbican-api' or $service_name == $::barbican::params::api_service_name {
+
     if $::os_package_type == 'ubuntu' {
       fail('With Ubuntu packages the service_name must be set to httpd as there is no eventlet init script.')
     }
+
+    if $::osfamily == 'RedHat' and $service_name == 'barbican-api' {
+      warning('The usage of barbican-api as service_name in Red Hat based OS is \
+deprecated and will be removed in a future release. Use openstack-barbican-api instead.')
+    }
+
     service { 'barbican-api':
       ensure     => $service_ensure,
       name       => $::barbican::params::api_service_name,
diff --git a/manifests/params.pp b/manifests/params.pp
index 4bcd7537..f841adb7 100644
--- a/manifests/params.pp
+++ b/manifests/params.pp
@@ -21,9 +21,7 @@ class barbican::params {
       $httpd_config_file            = '/etc/httpd/conf.d/barbican-api.conf'
     }
     'Debian': {
-      if ($::os_package_type == 'debian') {
-        $api_service_name           = 'barbican-api'
-      }
+      $api_service_name             = 'barbican-api'
       $api_package_name             = 'barbican-api'
       $worker_package_name          = 'barbican-worker'
       $worker_service_name          = 'barbican-worker'
diff --git a/releasenotes/notes/use-actual-service_name-on-redhat-os-496a8320834e376c.yaml b/releasenotes/notes/use-actual-service_name-on-redhat-os-496a8320834e376c.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2cb52b9a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/releasenotes/notes/use-actual-service_name-on-redhat-os-496a8320834e376c.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+deprecations:
+  - |
+    The usage of ``barbican-api`` as service_name in Red Hat based OS is
+    deprecated and will be removed in a future release. Use
+    ``openstack-barbican-api``, which is consistent with the actual service
+    name.
diff --git a/spec/classes/barbican_api_spec.rb b/spec/classes/barbican_api_spec.rb
index 301782d0..adb9ba5f 100644
--- a/spec/classes/barbican_api_spec.rb
+++ b/spec/classes/barbican_api_spec.rb
@@ -362,7 +362,7 @@ describe 'barbican::api' do
       case facts[:osfamily]
       when 'RedHat'
         let (:platform_params) do
-          { :service_name => 'barbican-api' }
+          { :service_name => 'openstack-barbican-api' }
         end
         it_behaves_like 'barbican api redhat'
       when 'Debian'