diff --git a/include/pybind11/pybind11.h b/include/pybind11/pybind11.h
index 76d998a3ba..8647d76cf1 100644
--- a/include/pybind11/pybind11.h
+++ b/include/pybind11/pybind11.h
@@ -1541,6 +1541,14 @@ class module_ : public object {
         return *this;
     }
 
+    /** \rst
+        Overload of `def` taking the function name as a ``std::string``.
+    \endrst */
+    template <typename Func, typename... Extra>
+    module_ &def(const std::string &name_, Func &&f, const Extra &...extra) {
+        return def(name_.c_str(), f, std::forward<Extra>(extra)...);
+    }
+
     /** \rst
         Create and return a new Python submodule with the given name and docstring.
         This also works recursively, i.e.
@@ -1587,6 +1595,18 @@ class module_ : public object {
         return result;
     }
 
+    /** \rst
+        Overload of `def_submodule` taking the function name and documentation as ``std::string``.
+    \endrst */
+    module_ def_submodule(const std::string &name, const std::string &doc) {
+        return def_submodule(name.c_str(), doc.c_str());
+    }
+
+    /** \rst
+        Overload of `def_submodule` taking the function name as a ``std::string``.
+    \endrst */
+    module_ def_submodule(const std::string &name) { return def_submodule(name.c_str(), nullptr); }
+
     /// Import and return a module or throws `error_already_set`.
     static module_ import(const char *name) {
         PyObject *obj = PyImport_ImportModule(name);
@@ -1596,6 +1616,11 @@ class module_ : public object {
         return reinterpret_steal<module_>(obj);
     }
 
+    /** \rst
+        Overload of `import` taking the function name as a ``std::string``.
+    \endrst */
+    static module_ import(const std::string &name) { return import(name.c_str()); }
+
     /// Reload the module or throws `error_already_set`.
     void reload() {
         PyObject *obj = PyImport_ReloadModule(ptr());
@@ -1622,6 +1647,14 @@ class module_ : public object {
         PyModule_AddObject(ptr(), name, obj.inc_ref().ptr() /* steals a reference */);
     }
 
+    /** \rst
+        Overload of `add_object` taking the function name as a ``std::string``.
+    \endrst */
+    PYBIND11_NOINLINE void
+    add_object(const std::string &name, handle obj, bool overwrite = false) {
+        return add_object(name.c_str(), obj, overwrite);
+    }
+
     // DEPRECATED (since PR #5688): Use PyModuleDef directly instead.
     using module_def = PyModuleDef;
 
@@ -1662,6 +1695,18 @@ class module_ : public object {
         //       For Python 2, reinterpret_borrow was correct.
         return reinterpret_borrow<module_>(m);
     }
+
+    /** \rst
+        Overload of `create_extension_module` taking the module name and documentation as
+    ``std::string``.
+    \endrst */
+    static module_ create_extension_module(const std::string &name,
+                                           const std::string &doc,
+                                           PyModuleDef *def,
+                                           mod_gil_not_used gil_not_used
+                                           = mod_gil_not_used(false)) {
+        return create_extension_module(name.c_str(), doc.c_str(), def, gil_not_used);
+    }
 };
 
 PYBIND11_NAMESPACE_BEGIN(detail)
diff --git a/tests/test_exceptions.cpp b/tests/test_exceptions.cpp
index 0a970065b4..9d5970260c 100644
--- a/tests/test_exceptions.cpp
+++ b/tests/test_exceptions.cpp
@@ -268,6 +268,19 @@ TEST_SUBMODULE(exceptions, m) {
         return false;
     });
 
+    m.def("modulenotfound_exception_matches_base_string", []() {
+        try {
+            // On Python >= 3.6, this raises a ModuleNotFoundError, a subclass of ImportError
+            py::module_::import(std::string("nonexistent"));
+        } catch (py::error_already_set &ex) {
+            if (!ex.matches(PyExc_ImportError)) {
+                throw;
+            }
+            return true;
+        }
+        return false;
+    });
+
     m.def("throw_already_set", [](bool err) {
         if (err) {
             py::set_error(PyExc_ValueError, "foo");
diff --git a/tests/test_exceptions.py b/tests/test_exceptions.py
index 59845b441b..505ccb6178 100644
--- a/tests/test_exceptions.py
+++ b/tests/test_exceptions.py
@@ -133,6 +133,7 @@ def test_exception_matches():
     assert m.exception_matches()
     assert m.exception_matches_base()
     assert m.modulenotfound_exception_matches_base()
+    assert m.modulenotfound_exception_matches_base_string()
 
 
 def test_custom(msg):
diff --git a/tests/test_modules.cpp b/tests/test_modules.cpp
index 842a3bc4b8..889f5275e5 100644
--- a/tests/test_modules.cpp
+++ b/tests/test_modules.cpp
@@ -121,4 +121,11 @@ TEST_SUBMODULE(modules, m) {
     });
 
     m.def("def_submodule", [](py::module_ m, const char *name) { return m.def_submodule(name); });
+
+    // Test std::string versions of def_submodule and def
+    py::module m_sub_string = m.def_submodule(std::string("submodule_string"));
+    m_sub_string.def(std::string("submodule_string_func"),
+                     []() { return "submodule_string_func()"; });
+    m_sub_string.def(
+        std::string("submodule_string_func_with_arg"), [](int x) { return x + 1; }, py::arg("x"));
 }
diff --git a/tests/test_modules.py b/tests/test_modules.py
index ea8ca7e5e4..1cee311017 100644
--- a/tests/test_modules.py
+++ b/tests/test_modules.py
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@
 import env
 from pybind11_tests import ConstructorStats
 from pybind11_tests import modules as m
+from pybind11_tests.modules import submodule_string as mstr
 from pybind11_tests.modules import subsubmodule as ms
 
 
@@ -25,6 +26,14 @@ def test_nested_modules():
 
     assert ms.submodule_func() == "submodule_func()"
 
+    assert (
+        pybind11_tests.modules.submodule_string.__name__
+        == "pybind11_tests.modules.submodule_string"
+    )
+
+    assert mstr.submodule_string_func() == "submodule_string_func()"
+    assert mstr.submodule_string_func_with_arg(x=2) == 3
+
 
 def test_reference_internal():
     b = ms.B()