diff --git a/include/wx/thread.h b/include/wx/thread.h
index ca3db2db72..24006b27bf 100644
--- a/include/wx/thread.h
+++ b/include/wx/thread.h
@@ -596,6 +596,9 @@ public:
     // Delete() instead (or leave the thread terminate by itself)
     virtual ~wxThread();
 
+    // sets name to assist debugging
+    static bool SetNameForCurrent(const wxString &name);
+
 protected:
     // sets name to assist debugging
     bool SetName(const wxString &name);
diff --git a/interface/wx/thread.h b/interface/wx/thread.h
index 9c60ad0cf0..af0c7125ea 100644
--- a/interface/wx/thread.h
+++ b/interface/wx/thread.h
@@ -1407,6 +1407,18 @@ protected:
         @since 3.1.6
     */
     bool SetName(const wxString &name);
+
+    /**
+        Sets an internal name for the current thread, which may be a wxThread
+        or any other kind of thread; e.g. an std::thread.
+
+        @return Either:
+            - @false: Failure or missing implementation for this OS.
+            - @true: Success or undetectable failure.
+
+        @since 3.1.6
+    */
+    static bool SetNameForCurrent(const wxString &name);
 };
 
 
diff --git a/src/msw/thread.cpp b/src/msw/thread.cpp
index 79acec9bfb..df0dace1da 100644
--- a/src/msw/thread.cpp
+++ b/src/msw/thread.cpp
@@ -1194,6 +1194,12 @@ bool wxThread::SetName(const wxString &name)
     wxCHECK_MSG(this == This(), false,
         "SetName() must be called in the context of the thread to be named");
 
+    return SetNameForCurrent(name);
+}
+
+/* static */
+bool wxThread::SetNameForCurrent(const wxString &name)
+{
     bool retval = wxSetThreadNameOnWindows10(name.wc_str());
 
     // Even if the method above succeeded, we can set
diff --git a/src/unix/threadpsx.cpp b/src/unix/threadpsx.cpp
index fdf2af59bb..7d59acc6f6 100644
--- a/src/unix/threadpsx.cpp
+++ b/src/unix/threadpsx.cpp
@@ -1685,7 +1685,12 @@ bool wxThread::SetName(const wxString &name)
     wxCHECK_MSG(this == This(), false,
         "SetName() must be called from inside the thread to be named");
 
+    return SetNameForCurrent(name);
+}
 
+/* static */
+bool wxThread::SetNameForCurrent(const wxString &name)
+{
     // the API is nearly the same on different *nix, but not quite:
 
 #if defined(__DARWIN__)