diff --git a/src/uu/ls/src/ls.rs b/src/uu/ls/src/ls.rs
index b5e76b7d3..1cebeb38a 100644
--- a/src/uu/ls/src/ls.rs
+++ b/src/uu/ls/src/ls.rs
@@ -1056,7 +1056,9 @@ impl PathData {
     ) -> Self {
         let name = p_buf
             .file_name()
-            .map_or(String::new(), |s| s.to_string_lossy().into_owned());
+            .unwrap_or_else(|| p_buf.iter().next_back().unwrap())
+            .to_string_lossy()
+            .into_owned();
         let must_dereference = match &config.dereference {
             Dereference::All => true,
             Dereference::Args => command_line,
@@ -1355,8 +1357,7 @@ fn display_item_long(
 ) {
     let md = match item.md() {
         None => {
-            let filename = get_file_name(&item.p_buf);
-            show_error!("could not show file: {}", filename);
+            show_error!("could not show file: {}", &item.p_buf.display());
             return;
         }
         Some(md) => md,
@@ -1550,13 +1551,6 @@ fn display_file_type(file_type: FileType) -> char {
     }
 }
 
-fn get_file_name(name: &Path) -> String {
-    name.file_name()
-        .unwrap_or(name.iter().last().unwrap())
-        .to_string_lossy()
-        .into()
-}
-
 #[cfg(unix)]
 fn file_is_executable(md: &Metadata) -> bool {
     // Mode always returns u32, but the flags might not be, based on the platform
@@ -1594,7 +1588,7 @@ fn classify_file(path: &PathData) -> Option<char> {
 }
 
 fn display_file_name(path: &PathData, config: &Config) -> Option<Cell> {
-    let mut name = escape_name(get_file_name(&path.p_buf), &config.quoting_style);
+    let mut name = escape_name(&path.file_name, &config.quoting_style);
 
     #[cfg(unix)]
     {
diff --git a/src/uu/ls/src/quoting_style.rs b/src/uu/ls/src/quoting_style.rs
index 49456fc22..01bffa7ec 100644
--- a/src/uu/ls/src/quoting_style.rs
+++ b/src/uu/ls/src/quoting_style.rs
@@ -171,7 +171,7 @@ impl Iterator for EscapedChar {
     }
 }
 
-fn shell_without_escape(name: String, quotes: Quotes, show_control_chars: bool) -> (String, bool) {
+fn shell_without_escape(name: &str, quotes: Quotes, show_control_chars: bool) -> (String, bool) {
     let mut must_quote = false;
     let mut escaped_str = String::with_capacity(name.len());
 
@@ -201,7 +201,7 @@ fn shell_without_escape(name: String, quotes: Quotes, show_control_chars: bool)
     (escaped_str, must_quote)
 }
 
-fn shell_with_escape(name: String, quotes: Quotes) -> (String, bool) {
+fn shell_with_escape(name: &str, quotes: Quotes) -> (String, bool) {
     // We need to keep track of whether we are in a dollar expression
     // because e.g. \b\n is escaped as $'\b\n' and not like $'b'$'n'
     let mut in_dollar = false;
@@ -249,7 +249,7 @@ fn shell_with_escape(name: String, quotes: Quotes) -> (String, bool) {
     (escaped_str, must_quote)
 }
 
-pub(super) fn escape_name(name: String, style: &QuotingStyle) -> String {
+pub(super) fn escape_name(name: &str, style: &QuotingStyle) -> String {
     match style {
         QuotingStyle::Literal { show_control } => {
             if !show_control {
@@ -257,7 +257,7 @@ pub(super) fn escape_name(name: String, style: &QuotingStyle) -> String {
                     .flat_map(|c| EscapedChar::new_literal(c).hide_control())
                     .collect()
             } else {
-                name
+                name.into()
             }
         }
         QuotingStyle::C { quotes } => {
@@ -354,7 +354,7 @@ mod tests {
     fn check_names(name: &str, map: Vec<(&str, &str)>) {
         assert_eq!(
             map.iter()
-                .map(|(_, style)| escape_name(name.to_string(), &get_style(style)))
+                .map(|(_, style)| escape_name(name, &get_style(style)))
                 .collect::<Vec<String>>(),
             map.iter()
                 .map(|(correct, _)| correct.to_string())