diff --git a/configure b/configure
index a89cfa6d95..9ca9f949b6 100755
--- a/configure
+++ b/configure
@@ -2227,6 +2227,7 @@ HEADERS_LIST="
     opencv2_core_core_c_h
     OpenGL_gl3_h
     poll_h
+    pthread_np_h
     sys_param_h
     sys_resource_h
     sys_select_h
@@ -2329,6 +2330,8 @@ SYSTEM_FUNCS="
     posix_memalign
     prctl
     pthread_cancel
+    pthread_set_name_np
+    pthread_setname_np
     sched_getaffinity
     SecItemImport
     SetConsoleTextAttribute
@@ -6460,6 +6463,7 @@ check_headers malloc.h
 check_headers mftransform.h
 check_headers net/udplite.h
 check_headers poll.h
+check_headers pthread_np.h
 check_headers sys/param.h
 check_headers sys/resource.h
 check_headers sys/select.h
@@ -6625,6 +6629,12 @@ if ! disabled pthreads && ! enabled w32threads && ! enabled os2threads; then
     if enabled pthreads; then
         check_builtin sem_timedwait semaphore.h "sem_t *s; sem_init(s,0,0); sem_timedwait(s,0); sem_destroy(s)" $pthreads_extralibs
         check_func pthread_cancel $pthreads_extralibs
+        hdrs=pthread.h
+        if enabled pthread_np_h; then
+            hdrs="$hdrs pthread_np.h"
+        fi
+        check_lib pthread_set_name_np "$hdrs" pthread_set_name_np -lpthread
+        check_lib pthread_setname_np "$hdrs" pthread_setname_np -lpthread
     fi
 fi
 
diff --git a/libavutil/thread.h b/libavutil/thread.h
index 2ded498c89..fa74dd2ea7 100644
--- a/libavutil/thread.h
+++ b/libavutil/thread.h
@@ -26,6 +26,8 @@
 
 #if HAVE_PRCTL
 #include <sys/prctl.h>
+#elif (HAVE_PTHREAD_SETNAME_NP || HAVE_PTHREAD_SET_NAME_NP) && HAVE_PTHREAD_NP_H
+#include <pthread_np.h>
 #endif
 
 #include "error.h"
@@ -213,11 +215,19 @@ static inline int ff_thread_once(char *control, void (*routine)(void))
 
 static inline int ff_thread_setname(const char *name)
 {
+    int ret = 0;
+
 #if HAVE_PRCTL
-    return AVERROR(prctl(PR_SET_NAME, name));
+    ret = AVERROR(prctl(PR_SET_NAME, name));
+#elif HAVE_PTHREAD_SETNAME_NP
+    ret = AVERROR(pthread_setname_np(pthread_self(), name));
+#elif HAVE_PTHREAD_SET_NAME_NP
+    pthread_set_name_np(pthread_self(), name);
+#else
+    ret = AVERROR(ENOSYS);
 #endif
 
-    return AVERROR(ENOSYS);
+    return ret;
 }
 
 #endif /* AVUTIL_THREAD_H */