diff --git a/changelog.d/13729.misc b/changelog.d/13729.misc
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c6a6f617e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog.d/13729.misc
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Strip number suffix from instance name to consolidate services that traces are spread over.
diff --git a/synapse/logging/opentracing.py b/synapse/logging/opentracing.py
index 482316a1f..adf3f5477 100644
--- a/synapse/logging/opentracing.py
+++ b/synapse/logging/opentracing.py
@@ -203,6 +203,9 @@ if TYPE_CHECKING:
 
 # Helper class
 
+# Matches the number suffix in an instance name like "matrix.org client_reader-8"
+STRIP_INSTANCE_NUMBER_SUFFIX_REGEX = re.compile(r"[_-]?\d+$")
+
 
 class _DummyTagNames:
     """wrapper of opentracings tags. We need to have them if we
@@ -441,9 +444,17 @@ def init_tracer(hs: "HomeServer") -> None:
 
     from jaeger_client.metrics.prometheus import PrometheusMetricsFactory
 
+    # Instance names are opaque strings but by stripping off the number suffix,
+    # we can get something that looks like a "worker type", e.g.
+    # "client_reader-1" -> "client_reader" so we don't spread the traces across
+    # so many services.
+    instance_name_by_type = re.sub(
+        STRIP_INSTANCE_NUMBER_SUFFIX_REGEX, "", hs.get_instance_name()
+    )
+
     config = JaegerConfig(
         config=hs.config.tracing.jaeger_config,
-        service_name=f"{hs.config.server.server_name} {hs.get_instance_name()}",
+        service_name=f"{hs.config.server.server_name} {instance_name_by_type}",
         scope_manager=LogContextScopeManager(),
         metrics_factory=PrometheusMetricsFactory(),
     )