diff --git a/mesonbuild/compilers/cpp.py b/mesonbuild/compilers/cpp.py
index 127f86884e0b..e6f45c027b00 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/compilers/cpp.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/compilers/cpp.py
@@ -187,16 +187,53 @@ class _StdCPPLibMixin(CompilerMixinBase):
 
     """Detect whether to use libc++ or libstdc++."""
 
-    def language_stdlib_only_link_flags(self, env: 'Environment') -> T.List[str]:
+    def __init__(self) -> None:
+        self.__stdlib_flags: T.Optional[T.List[str]] = None
+
+    def __detect_stdlib_flags(self, env: Environment) -> None:
+        """Detect the C++ stdlib and default search dirs
+
+        As an optimization, this method will cache the value, to avoid building the same values over and over
+
+        :param env: An Environment object
+        :raises MesonException: If a stdlib cannot be determined
+        """
+        assert self.__stdlib_flags is None, 'detect for c++ stdlib called twice!'
+
         # We need to apply the search prefix here, as these link arguments may
         # be passed to a different compiler with a different set of default
         # search paths, such as when using Clang for C/C++ and gfortran for
-        # fortran,
+        # fortran.
         search_dirs = [f'-L{d}' for d in self.get_compiler_dirs(env, 'libraries')]
-        return search_dirs + ['-lstdc++']
+
+        machine = env.machines[self.for_machine]
+        assert machine is not None, 'for mypy'
+
+        # We need to determine whether to us libc++ or libstdc++
+        # In some cases we know the answer, so we'll hardcode those cases.
+        # There are other cases where we can't know the answer just by looking
+        # at the OS, namely on Linux. In that case we have to fallback to
+        # TODO: need to test dragonfly, netbsd, and openbsd
+        stdlib: str
+        if machine.system in {'android', 'darwin', 'dragonfly', 'freebsd', 'netbsd', 'openbsd'}:
+            stdlib = 'c++'
+        elif self.find_library('c++', env, []) is not None:
+            stdlib = 'c++'
+        elif self.find_library('stdc++', env, []) is not None:
+            stdlib = 'stdc++'
+        else:
+            # TODO: maybe a bug exception?
+            raise MesonException('Could not detect either libc++ or libstdc++ as your C++ stdlib implementation.')
+
+        self.__stdlib_flags = search_dirs + [f'-l{stdlib}']
+
+    def language_stdlib_only_link_flags(self, env: Environment) -> T.List[str]:
+        if self.__stdlib_flags is None:
+            self.__detect_stdlib_flags(env)
+        return self.__stdlib_flags
 
 
-class ClangCPPCompiler(ClangCompiler, CPPCompiler, _StdCPPLibMixin):
+class ClangCPPCompiler(_StdCPPLibMixin, ClangCompiler, CPPCompiler):
     def __init__(self, ccache: T.List[str], exelist: T.List[str], version: str, for_machine: MachineChoice, is_cross: bool,
                  info: 'MachineInfo', exe_wrapper: T.Optional['ExternalProgram'] = None,
                  linker: T.Optional['DynamicLinker'] = None,
@@ -205,6 +242,7 @@ def __init__(self, ccache: T.List[str], exelist: T.List[str], version: str, for_
         CPPCompiler.__init__(self, ccache, exelist, version, for_machine, is_cross,
                              info, exe_wrapper, linker=linker, full_version=full_version)
         ClangCompiler.__init__(self, defines)
+        _StdCPPLibMixin.__init__(self)
         default_warn_args = ['-Wall', '-Winvalid-pch']
         self.warn_args = {'0': [],
                           '1': default_warn_args,
@@ -354,7 +392,7 @@ def get_option_link_args(self, options: 'KeyedOptionDictType') -> T.List[str]:
         return []
 
 
-class GnuCPPCompiler(GnuCompiler, CPPCompiler, _StdCPPLibMixin):
+class GnuCPPCompiler(_StdCPPLibMixin, GnuCompiler, CPPCompiler):
     def __init__(self, ccache: T.List[str], exelist: T.List[str], version: str, for_machine: MachineChoice, is_cross: bool,
                  info: 'MachineInfo', exe_wrapper: T.Optional['ExternalProgram'] = None,
                  linker: T.Optional['DynamicLinker'] = None,
@@ -363,6 +401,7 @@ def __init__(self, ccache: T.List[str], exelist: T.List[str], version: str, for_
         CPPCompiler.__init__(self, ccache, exelist, version, for_machine, is_cross,
                              info, exe_wrapper, linker=linker, full_version=full_version)
         GnuCompiler.__init__(self, defines)
+        _StdCPPLibMixin.__init__(self)
         default_warn_args = ['-Wall', '-Winvalid-pch']
         self.warn_args = {'0': [],
                           '1': default_warn_args,