diff --git a/DEVELOPERS b/DEVELOPERS
index 6f812eb564..e5e6d0f538 100644
--- a/DEVELOPERS
+++ b/DEVELOPERS
@@ -1104,7 +1104,7 @@ F:	package/libnids/
 F:	package/libxcrypt/
 F:	package/liquid-dsp/
 F:	package/pixiewps/
-F:	package/python-pybind/
+F:	package/pybind11/
 F:	package/reaver/
 
 N:	Guo Ren <ren_guo@c-sky.com>
diff --git a/package/Config.in b/package/Config.in
index e355ab1987..7d36c22d0e 100644
--- a/package/Config.in
+++ b/package/Config.in
@@ -1132,7 +1132,6 @@ menu "External python modules"
 	source "package/python-pyalsa/Config.in"
 	source "package/python-pyasn1/Config.in"
 	source "package/python-pyasn1-modules/Config.in"
-	source "package/python-pybind/Config.in"
 	source "package/python-pycairo/Config.in"
 	source "package/python-pycares/Config.in"
 	source "package/python-pycli/Config.in"
@@ -2005,6 +2004,7 @@ endif
 	source "package/protobuf/Config.in"
 	source "package/protobuf-c/Config.in"
 	source "package/protozero/Config.in"
+	source "package/pybind11/Config.in"
 	source "package/qhull/Config.in"
 	source "package/qlibc/Config.in"
 	source "package/riemann-c-client/Config.in"
diff --git a/package/pybind11/Config.in b/package/pybind11/Config.in
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cc3d481ccc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/package/pybind11/Config.in
@@ -0,0 +1,25 @@
+comment "pybind11 needs a toolchain w/ C++, wchar"
+	depends on !BR2_INSTALL_LIBSTDCPP || !BR2_USE_WCHAR
+
+config BR2_PACKAGE_PYBIND11
+	bool "pybind11"
+	depends on BR2_USE_WCHAR # boost
+	depends on BR2_INSTALL_LIBSTDCPP # boost
+	depends on !BR2_TOOLCHAIN_HAS_GCC_BUG_64735 # boost-thread
+	select BR2_PACKAGE_BOOST
+	help
+	  Pybind11 is a lightweight header-only library that exposes C++
+	  types in Python and vice versa, mainly to create Python
+	  bindings of existing C++ code.
+
+	  http://pybind11.readthedocs.org/en/master
+
+if BR2_PACKAGE_PYBIND11
+
+config BR2_PACKAGE_PYBIND11_WITH_PYTHON
+	bool "pybind11-python"
+	depends on BR2_PACKAGE_PYTHON3
+	help
+	  Activate support for python-pybind
+
+endif
diff --git a/package/pybind11/pybind11.hash b/package/pybind11/pybind11.hash
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..ab8825bf04
--- /dev/null
+++ b/package/pybind11/pybind11.hash
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+# Locally calculated
+sha256 f1bcc07caa568eb312411dde5308b1e250bd0e1bc020fae855bf9f43209940cc  pybind11-2.8.1.tar.gz
+sha256 83965b843b98f670d3a85bd041ed4b372c8ec50d7b4a5995a83ac697ba675dcb  LICENSE
diff --git a/package/pybind11/pybind11.mk b/package/pybind11/pybind11.mk
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3c7856b82d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/package/pybind11/pybind11.mk
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+################################################################################
+#
+# pybind11
+#
+################################################################################
+
+PYBIND11_VERSION = 2.8.1
+PYBIND11_SITE = $(call github,pybind,pybind11,v$(PYBIND11_VERSION))
+PYBIND11_LICENSE = BSD-3-Clause
+PYBIND11_LICENSE_FILES = LICENSE
+PYBIND11_INSTALL_STAGING = YES
+PYBIND11_SUPPORTS_IN_SOURCE_BUILD = YES
+
+HOST_PYBIND11_CONF_OPTS = \
+	-DBUILD_DOCS=OFF \
+	-DDOWNLOAD_EIGEN=OFF \
+	-DPYTHON=$(TARGET_DIR)/usr/bin/python \
+	-DPYTHON_PREFIX=$(STAGING_DIR)/usr
+
+# pybind11-python support activation
+# this requires the cmake build installed within $(@D)
+ifeq ($(BR2_PACKAGE_PYBIND11_WITH_PYTHON),y)
+
+HOST_PYBIND11_DEPENDENCIES += host-python3
+
+HOST_PYBIND11_CONF_OPTS += -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=$(@D)/pybind11
+
+define PYBIND11_PYTHON_BUILD
+	cd $(@D) && $(HOST_DIR)/bin/python setup.py install
+endef
+
+HOST_PYBIND11_POST_INSTALL_HOOKS += PYBIND11_PYTHON_BUILD
+
+else
+
+HOST_PYBIND11_CONF_OPTS += \
+	-DPYBIND_FINDPYTHON=OFF \
+	-DPYBIND11_NOPYTHON=ON
+
+endif
+
+$(eval $(host-cmake-package))
diff --git a/package/python-pybind/Config.in b/package/python-pybind/Config.in
deleted file mode 100644
index 604cb9ee67..0000000000
--- a/package/python-pybind/Config.in
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,8 +0,0 @@
-config BR2_PACKAGE_PYTHON_PYBIND
-	bool "python-pybind"
-	help
-	  PyBind is a lightweight header-only library that exposes C++
-	  types in Python and vice versa, mainly to create Python
-	  bindings of existing C++ code.
-
-	  http://pybind11.readthedocs.org/en/master
diff --git a/package/python-pybind/python-pybind.hash b/package/python-pybind/python-pybind.hash
deleted file mode 100644
index a68ac846e2..0000000000
--- a/package/python-pybind/python-pybind.hash
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,4 +0,0 @@
-# Locally calculated
-sha256  cdbe326d357f18b83d10322ba202d69f11b2f49e2d87ade0dc2be0c5c34f8e2a  python-pybind-2.6.1.tar.gz
-# License files, locally calculated
-sha256  83965b843b98f670d3a85bd041ed4b372c8ec50d7b4a5995a83ac697ba675dcb  LICENSE
diff --git a/package/python-pybind/python-pybind.mk b/package/python-pybind/python-pybind.mk
deleted file mode 100644
index a6a1bdb976..0000000000
--- a/package/python-pybind/python-pybind.mk
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,13 +0,0 @@
-################################################################################
-#
-# python-pybind
-#
-################################################################################
-
-PYTHON_PYBIND_VERSION = 2.6.1
-PYTHON_PYBIND_SITE = $(call github,pybind,pybind11,v$(PYTHON_PYBIND_VERSION))
-PYTHON_PYBIND_LICENSE = BSD-3-Clause
-PYTHON_PYBIND_LICENSE_FILES = LICENSE
-PYTHON_PYBIND_SETUP_TYPE = setuptools
-
-$(eval $(python-package))
