diff --git a/dlib/matlab/CMakeLists.txt b/dlib/matlab/CMakeLists.txt
index 6d99f4a8f..0bf33660f 100644
--- a/dlib/matlab/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/dlib/matlab/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,5 +1,5 @@
 
-cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 2.8.4)
+cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 2.8.11)
 
 PROJECT(mex_functions)
 
diff --git a/dlib/matlab/cmake_mex_wrapper b/dlib/matlab/cmake_mex_wrapper
index e0ea3e821..c5a9a9c5f 100644
--- a/dlib/matlab/cmake_mex_wrapper
+++ b/dlib/matlab/cmake_mex_wrapper
@@ -3,7 +3,7 @@
 # that additional library dependencies can be added like this: add_mex_function(name lib1 dlib libetc).
 # That is, just add more libraries after the name and they will be build into the mex file.
 
-cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 2.8.4)
+cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 2.8.11)
 
 set(BUILDING_MATLAB_MEX_FILE true)
 set(CMAKE_POSITION_INDEPENDENT_CODE True)
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ INCLUDE(InstallRequiredSystemLibraries)
 
 MACRO(add_mex_function name )
     ADD_LIBRARY(${name} MODULE ${name}.cpp )
+    target_compile_definitions(${name} PRIVATE -DMEX_FILENAME=${name})
     if (UNIX)
         # Doing this prevents our mex function from exporting any symbols
         # other than mexFunction().  This sometimes doesn't matter but sometimes
diff --git a/dlib/matlab/mex_wrapper.cpp b/dlib/matlab/mex_wrapper.cpp
index 28c8062a0..e056a29cb 100644
--- a/dlib/matlab/mex_wrapper.cpp
+++ b/dlib/matlab/mex_wrapper.cpp
@@ -4897,7 +4897,7 @@ void mexFunction( int nlhs, mxArray *plhs[],
             string classname = trim(string(DEF2STR(MEX_CLASS_NAME)), " \t()");
             std::vector<string> methods = split(trim(string(DEF2STR(MEX_CLASS_METHODS)), " \t()"), " \t,");
 
-            string mex_filename = "mex_"+classname;
+            string mex_filename = trim(string(DEF2STR(MEX_FILENAME))," \t()");
             bool has_load_obj = false;
             size_t load_obj_idx = 0;