diff --git a/config.h.guess b/config.h.guess
index 1727a7a..e6405ba 100644
--- a/config.h.guess
+++ b/config.h.guess
@@ -853,5 +853,33 @@
 #define STRERROR_R_CHAR_P ((AG_GLIBC_PREREQ(0,0) || AG_UCLIBC_PREREQ(0,0,0)) && (HAVE__GNU_SOURCE || !(_POSIX_C_SOURCE >= 200112L || _XOPEN_SOURCE >= 600)))
 #endif
 
+#ifndef HAVE_GLIBC_PTHREAD
+#define HAVE_GLIBC_PTHREAD (AG_GLIBC_PREREQ(2,12) && __linux__)
+#endif
+
+#ifndef HAVE_NETBSD_PTHREAD
+/*5.0.0 has setname() but no getname(). let's not support it for now.*/
+#define HAVE_NETBSD_PTHREAD (AG_NETBSD_PREREQ(6,0,0))
+#endif
+
+#ifndef HAVE_FREEBSD_PTHREAD
+#define HAVE_FREEBSD_PTHREAD (AG_FREEBSD_PREREQ(5,2,1))
+#endif
+
+#ifndef HAVE_OPENBSD_PTHREAD
+#define HAVE_OPENBSD_PTHREAD (AG_OPENBSD_PREREQ(3,6))
+#endif
+
+#ifndef HAVE_MACOSX_PTHREAD
+#define HAVE_MACOSX_PTHREAD (AG_MACOS_PREREQ(10,7,0))
+#endif
+
+#ifndef HAVE_PTHREAD_SETNAME 
+#define HAVE_PTHREAD_SETNAME (HAVE_GLIBC_PTHREAD || HAVE_NETBSD_PTHREAD || HAVE_FREEBSD_PTHREAD || HAVE_OPENBSD_PTHREAD || HAVE_MACOSX_PTHREAD)
+#endif
+
+#ifndef HAVE_PTHREAD_GETNAME 
+#define HAVE_PTHREAD_GETNAME (HAVE_GLIBC_PTHREAD || HAVE_NETBSD_PTHREAD || HAVE_MACOSX_PTHREAD)
+#endif
 
 #endif /* CONFIG_H_GUESS */
diff --git a/doc/cqueues.tex b/doc/cqueues.tex
index 266b13b..f5efa39 100644
--- a/doc/cqueues.tex
+++ b/doc/cqueues.tex
@@ -803,6 +803,16 @@ \subsubsection{\fn{signal[]}}
 
 Returns a boolean and error value. If false, error value is an error code describing a local error, usually \errno{EAGAIN} or \errno{ETIMEDOUT}. If true, error value is 1) an error code describing a system error which the thread encountered, 2) an error message string returned by the new Lua instance, or 3) nil if completed successfully.
 
+\subsubsection[\fn{thread:setname}]{\fn{thread:setname(name)}}
+Set a name for the thread. The name must be a string not exceeding 15 characters in length. Supported on Linux, FreeBSD, NetBSD, OpenBSD. \& Mac OS X. On OS X this function only works from inside the thread.
+
+Returns true on success, false, an error string, an error string and the errno if the name is too long or if the platform does not support this function.
+
+\subsubsection[\fn{thread:getname}]{\fn{thread:getname(name)}}
+Get the name of the thread. Supported on Linux, NetBSD \& Mac OS X.
+
+Returns the name string, or nil, an error string and the errno if the platform does not support this function.
+
 \end{Module}
 
 \begin{Module}{cqueues.notify}
diff --git a/src/thread.c b/src/thread.c
index 65d7fb8..b124e71 100644
--- a/src/thread.c
+++ b/src/thread.c
@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@
 #include <sys/socket.h>
 
 #include <pthread.h>
+#if (HAVE_OPENBSD_PTHREAD || HAVE_FREEBSD_PTHREAD)
+#include <pthread_np.h>
+#endif
 
 #include <dlfcn.h>
 
@@ -755,6 +758,97 @@ static int ct_timeout(lua_State *L) {
 	return 0;
 } /* ct_timeout() */
 
+#if HAVE_PTHREAD_SETNAME
+static int ct_setname(lua_State *L) {
+	struct cthread *ct = ct_checkthread(L, 1);
+	char  *name = luaL_checkstring(L, 2);
+	int rc;
+#if HAVE_GLIBC_PTHREAD
+	rc = pthread_setname_np(ct->id, name);
+#elif HAVE_NETBSD_PTHREAD
+	rc = pthread_setname_np(ct->id, "%s", name);
+#elif (HAVE_FREEBSD_PTHREAD || HAVE_OPENBSD_PTHREAD)
+	rc = 0;
+	/* from FreeBSD & OpenBSD man page:
+	  Because of the debugging nature of this function, all errors that may
+	  appear inside are silently ignored.
+	*/
+	pthread_set_name_np(ct->id, name);
+#elif HAVE_MACOSX_PTHREAD
+	if (pthread_equal(ct->id, pthread_self())) {
+		lua_pushboolean(L, 0);
+		lua_pushliteral(L, "thread name cannot be set from outside the thread on this platform");
+		lua_pushinteger(L, EPERM);
+		return 3;
+	}
+	rc = pthread_setname_np(name);
+#endif
+	switch(rc) {
+		case 0:
+			lua_pushboolean(L, 1);
+			return 1;
+		case ERANGE:
+			lua_pushboolean(L, 0);
+			lua_pushliteral(L, "thread name too long");
+			lua_pushinteger(L, rc);
+			return 3;
+		case EINVAL:
+			lua_pushboolean(L, 0);
+			lua_pushliteral(L, "invalid parameter when setting thread name");
+			lua_pushinteger(L, rc);
+			return 3;
+		case ENOMEM:
+			lua_pushboolean(L, 0);
+			lua_pushliteral(L, "out of memory when setting thread name");
+			lua_pushinteger(L, rc);
+			return 3;
+	}
+} /* ct_setname() */
+#else
+static int ct_setname(lua_State *L) {
+	lua_pushnil(L);
+	lua_pushliteral(L, "setname() not supported on this platform");
+	lua_pushinteger(L, EPERM);
+	return 3;
+} /* ct_setname() */
+#endif
+
+
+#if HAVE_PTHREAD_GETNAME
+static int ct_getname(lua_State *L) {
+	struct cthread *ct = ct_checkthread(L, 1);
+	char   buf[128];
+	int rc = EINVAL;
+	/*all the pthread_getname_np interfaces are the same where supported*/
+	rc = pthread_getname_np(ct->id, buf, 128);
+	switch(rc) {
+		case ERANGE:
+			lua_pushnil(L);
+			lua_pushliteral(L, "thread name too long");
+			lua_pushinteger(L, rc);
+			return 3;
+		case EINVAL:
+			lua_pushnil(L);
+			lua_pushliteral(L, "invalid parameter when getting thread name");
+			lua_pushinteger(L, rc);
+			return 3;
+		case ENOMEM:
+			lua_pushnil(L);
+			lua_pushliteral(L, "out of memory when getting thread name");
+			lua_pushinteger(L, rc);
+			return 3;
+	}
+	lua_pushstring(L, buf);
+	return 1;
+} /* ct_getname() */
+#else
+static int ct_getname(lua_State *L) {
+	lua_pushnil(L);
+	lua_pushliteral(L, "getname() not supported on this platform");
+	lua_pushinteger(L, EPERM);
+	return 3;
+} /* ct_getname() */
+#endif
 
 static int ct__eq(lua_State *L) {
 	struct cthread **a = luaL_testudata(L, 1, CQS_THREAD);
@@ -804,6 +898,8 @@ static const luaL_Reg ct_methods[] = {
 	{ "pollfd",  &ct_pollfd },
 	{ "events",  &ct_events },
 	{ "timeout", &ct_timeout },
+	{ "setname", &ct_setname },
+	{ "getname", &ct_getname },
 	{ NULL,      NULL }
 };