diff --git a/bfd/ChangeLog b/bfd/ChangeLog
index c4c4fa2647a..c56cfc49383 100644
--- a/bfd/ChangeLog
+++ b/bfd/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+2021-03-02  Nick Alcock  <nick.alcock@oracle.com>
+
+	* elf-strtab.c (_bfd_elf_strtab_str): Skip strings with zero refcount.
+
 2021-03-02  Alan Modra  <amodra@gmail.com>
 
 	PR 27451
diff --git a/bfd/elf-strtab.c b/bfd/elf-strtab.c
index 3e5e1622109..a3cb4ef7b4a 100644
--- a/bfd/elf-strtab.c
+++ b/bfd/elf-strtab.c
@@ -299,9 +299,11 @@ _bfd_elf_strtab_str (struct elf_strtab_hash *tab, size_t idx,
 		     bfd_size_type *offset)
 {
   if (idx == 0)
-    return 0;
+    return NULL;
   BFD_ASSERT (idx < tab->size);
   BFD_ASSERT (tab->sec_size);
+  if (tab->array[idx]->refcount == 0)
+    return NULL;
   if (offset)
     *offset = tab->array[idx]->u.index;
   return tab->array[idx]->root.string;
diff --git a/ld/ChangeLog b/ld/ChangeLog
index d12e537791a..9116ee01170 100644
--- a/ld/ChangeLog
+++ b/ld/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,7 @@
+2021-03-02  Nick Alcock  <nick.alcock@oracle.com>
+
+	* ldelfgen.c (ldelf_ctf_strtab_iter_cb): Skip zero-refcount strings.
+
 2021-03-02  Alan Modra  <amodra@gmail.com>
 
 	* testsuite/ld-powerpc/startstop.d,
diff --git a/ld/ldelfgen.c b/ld/ldelfgen.c
index df3dae0abe8..c49b85494ee 100644
--- a/ld/ldelfgen.c
+++ b/ld/ldelfgen.c
@@ -375,13 +375,20 @@ ldelf_ctf_strtab_iter_cb (uint32_t *offset, void *arg_)
   if (arg->next_i == 0)
     arg->next_i = 1;
 
-  if (arg->next_i >= _bfd_elf_strtab_len (arg->strtab))
+  /* Hunt through strings until we fall off the end or find one with
+     a nonzero refcount.  */
+  do
     {
-      arg->next_i = 0;
-      return NULL;
-    }
+      if (arg->next_i >= _bfd_elf_strtab_len (arg->strtab))
+	{
+	  arg->next_i = 0;
+	  return NULL;
+	}
+
+      ret = _bfd_elf_strtab_str (arg->strtab, arg->next_i++, &off);
+    }
+  while (ret == NULL);
 
-  ret = _bfd_elf_strtab_str (arg->strtab, arg->next_i++, &off);
   *offset = off;
 
   /* If we've overflowed, we cannot share any further strings: the CTF
diff --git a/libctf/ChangeLog b/libctf/ChangeLog
index 8fa98c68a82..f095c3e1e30 100644
--- a/libctf/ChangeLog
+++ b/libctf/ChangeLog
@@ -1,3 +1,11 @@
+2021-03-02  Nick Alcock  <nick.alcock@oracle.com>
+
+	* ctf-create.c (symtypetab_density): Report the symbol name as
+	well as index in the name != object error; note the likely
+	consequences.
+	* ctf-link.c (ctf_link_shuffle_syms): Report the symbol index
+	as well as name.
+
 2021-03-02  Nick Alcock  <nick.alcock@oracle.com>
 
 	* ctf-link.c (ctf_link_shuffle_syms): Free ctf_dynsyms properly.
diff --git a/libctf/ctf-create.c b/libctf/ctf-create.c
index d417922e7fd..3f2c5dacb03 100644
--- a/libctf/ctf-create.c
+++ b/libctf/ctf-create.c
@@ -318,18 +318,22 @@ symtypetab_density (ctf_dict_t *fp, ctf_dict_t *symfp, ctf_dynhash_t *symhash,
 	  if ((flags & CTF_SYMTYPETAB_EMIT_FUNCTION)
 	      && sym->st_type != STT_FUNC)
 	    {
-	      ctf_err_warn (fp, 1, 0, _("Symbol %x added to CTF as a function "
-					"but is of type %x\n"),
-			    sym->st_symidx, sym->st_type);
+	      ctf_err_warn (fp, 1, 0, _("symbol %s (%x) added to CTF as a "
+					"function but is of type %x.  "
+					"The symbol type lookup tables "
+					"are probably corrupted"),
+			    sym->st_name, sym->st_symidx, sym->st_type);
 	      ctf_dynhash_remove (symhash, name);
 	      continue;
 	    }
 	  else if (!(flags & CTF_SYMTYPETAB_EMIT_FUNCTION)
 		   && sym->st_type != STT_OBJECT)
 	    {
-	      ctf_err_warn (fp, 1, 0, _("Symbol %x added to CTF as a data "
-					"object but is of type %x\n"),
-			    sym->st_symidx, sym->st_type);
+	      ctf_err_warn (fp, 1, 0, _("symbol %s (%x) added to CTF as a "
+					"data object but is of type %x.  "
+					"The symbol type lookup tables "
+					"are probably corrupted"),
+			    sym->st_name, sym->st_symidx, sym->st_type);
 	      ctf_dynhash_remove (symhash, name);
 	      continue;
 	    }
diff --git a/libctf/ctf-link.c b/libctf/ctf-link.c
index 882d4297e4f..5471fccd0f7 100644
--- a/libctf/ctf-link.c
+++ b/libctf/ctf-link.c
@@ -1552,7 +1552,8 @@ ctf_link_shuffle_syms (ctf_dict_t *fp)
 	 for skippability here.  */
       if (!ctf_symtab_skippable (&did->cid_sym))
 	{
-	  ctf_dprintf ("symbol name from linker: %s\n", did->cid_sym.st_name);
+	  ctf_dprintf ("symbol from linker: %s (%x)\n", did->cid_sym.st_name,
+		       did->cid_sym.st_symidx);
 
 	  if ((new_sym = malloc (sizeof (ctf_link_sym_t))) == NULL)
 	    goto local_oom;