diff --git a/Include/cpython/code.h b/Include/cpython/code.h
index 330f1f54d15203..74619d03bb67b1 100644
--- a/Include/cpython/code.h
+++ b/Include/cpython/code.h
@@ -35,6 +35,7 @@ struct PyCodeObject {
        for tracebacks and debuggers; otherwise, constant de-duplication
        would collapse identical functions/lambdas defined on different lines.
     */
+    PyObject *co_kwarg2index;   /* Maps keyword arg names to index in locals */
     Py_ssize_t *co_cell2arg;    /* Maps cell vars which are arguments. */
     PyObject *co_filename;      /* unicode (where it was loaded from) */
     PyObject *co_name;          /* unicode (name, for reference) */
@@ -172,6 +173,8 @@ PyAPI_FUNC(int) _PyCode_GetExtra(PyObject *code, Py_ssize_t index,
 PyAPI_FUNC(int) _PyCode_SetExtra(PyObject *code, Py_ssize_t index,
                                  void *extra);
 
+int _PyCode_InitKwarg2Index(PyCodeObject *co);
+
 /** API for initializing the line number table. */
 int _PyCode_InitAddressRange(PyCodeObject* co, PyCodeAddressRange *bounds);
 
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core and Builtins/2021-05-17-20-46-08.bpo-44160.Z10hI2.rst b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core and Builtins/2021-05-17-20-46-08.bpo-44160.Z10hI2.rst
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000000..cc043e2625d600
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Misc/NEWS.d/next/Core and Builtins/2021-05-17-20-46-08.bpo-44160.Z10hI2.rst	
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Calling with keyword arguments is now linear, rather than quadratic, in the number of keyword arguments.
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/Objects/codeobject.c b/Objects/codeobject.c
index e981e39aaf1240..fbcf8e03e4554a 100644
--- a/Objects/codeobject.c
+++ b/Objects/codeobject.c
@@ -253,6 +253,7 @@ PyCode_NewWithPosOnlyArgs(int argcount, int posonlyargcount, int kwonlyargcount,
     co->co_freevars = freevars;
     Py_INCREF(cellvars);
     co->co_cellvars = cellvars;
+    co->co_kwarg2index = NULL; // Lazily initialized
     co->co_cell2arg = cell2arg;
     Py_INCREF(filename);
     co->co_filename = filename;
@@ -274,6 +275,37 @@ PyCode_NewWithPosOnlyArgs(int argcount, int posonlyargcount, int kwonlyargcount,
     return co;
 }
 
+int
+_PyCode_InitKwarg2Index(PyCodeObject *co)
+{
+    assert(co->co_kwarg2index == NULL);
+    Py_ssize_t total_args =
+        (Py_ssize_t)co->co_argcount + (Py_ssize_t)co->co_kwonlyargcount;
+    PyObject *d = PyDict_New();
+    if (d == NULL) {
+        return -1;
+    }
+
+    for (Py_ssize_t j = co->co_posonlyargcount; j < total_args; j++) {
+        PyObject *index = PyLong_FromSsize_t(j);
+        if (index == NULL) {
+            Py_DECREF(d);
+            return -1;
+        }
+        PyObject *kw = PyTuple_GET_ITEM(co->co_varnames, j);
+        Py_INCREF(kw);
+        if (PyDict_SetItem(d, kw, index) < 0) {
+            Py_DECREF(index);
+            Py_DECREF(kw);
+            Py_DECREF(d);
+            return -1;
+        }
+    }
+
+    co->co_kwarg2index = d;
+    return 0;
+}
+
 PyCodeObject *
 PyCode_New(int argcount, int kwonlyargcount,
            int nlocals, int stacksize, int flags,
@@ -672,6 +704,7 @@ code_dealloc(PyCodeObject *co)
     Py_XDECREF(co->co_name);
     Py_XDECREF(co->co_linetable);
     Py_XDECREF(co->co_exceptiontable);
+    Py_XDECREF(co->co_kwarg2index);
     if (co->co_cell2arg != NULL)
         PyMem_Free(co->co_cell2arg);
     if (co->co_zombieframe != NULL)
diff --git a/Python/ceval.c b/Python/ceval.c
index fa7b0b5a051e3a..54f80cc2cbd6c7 100644
--- a/Python/ceval.c
+++ b/Python/ceval.c
@@ -1,10 +1,5 @@
 /* Execute compiled code */
 
-/* XXX TO DO:
-   XXX speed up searching for keywords by using a dictionary
-   XXX document it!
-   */
-
 /* enable more aggressive intra-module optimizations, where available */
 /* affects both release and debug builds - see bpo-43271 */
 #define PY_LOCAL_AGGRESSIVE
@@ -262,9 +257,6 @@ UNSIGNAL_ASYNC_EXC(PyInterpreterState *interp)
 }
 
 
-#ifdef HAVE_ERRNO_H
-#include <errno.h>
-#endif
 #include "ceval_gil.h"
 
 void _Py_NO_RETURN
@@ -4941,8 +4933,12 @@ _PyEval_MakeFrameVector(PyThreadState *tstate,
     /* Handle keyword arguments */
     if (kwnames != NULL) {
         Py_ssize_t kwcount = PyTuple_GET_SIZE(kwnames);
+        if (kwcount > 0 && co->co_kwarg2index == NULL) {
+            if (_PyCode_InitKwarg2Index(co) < 0) {
+                goto fail;
+            }
+        }
         for (i = 0; i < kwcount; i++) {
-            PyObject **co_varnames;
             PyObject *keyword = PyTuple_GET_ITEM(kwnames, i);
             PyObject *value = args[i+argcount];
             Py_ssize_t j;
@@ -4954,42 +4950,29 @@ _PyEval_MakeFrameVector(PyThreadState *tstate,
                 goto fail;
             }
 
-            /* Speed hack: do raw pointer compares. As names are
-            normally interned this should almost always hit. */
-            co_varnames = ((PyTupleObject *)(co->co_varnames))->ob_item;
-            for (j = co->co_posonlyargcount; j < total_args; j++) {
-                PyObject *varname = co_varnames[j];
-                if (varname == keyword) {
-                    goto kw_found;
-                }
-            }
-
-            /* Slow fallback, just in case */
-            for (j = co->co_posonlyargcount; j < total_args; j++) {
-                PyObject *varname = co_varnames[j];
-                int cmp = PyObject_RichCompareBool( keyword, varname, Py_EQ);
-                if (cmp > 0) {
-                    goto kw_found;
-                }
-                else if (cmp < 0) {
+            PyObject *index = PyDict_GetItemWithError(co->co_kwarg2index, keyword);
+            if (index != NULL) {
+                j = PyLong_AsSsize_t(index);
+                if (j == -1 && PyErr_Occurred()) {
                     goto fail;
                 }
+                goto kw_found;
+            }
+            else if (PyErr_Occurred()) {
+                goto fail;
             }
 
-            assert(j >= total_args);
             if (kwdict == NULL) {
-
                 if (co->co_posonlyargcount
                     && positional_only_passed_as_keyword(tstate, co,
                                                         kwcount, kwnames,
-                                                     con->fc_qualname))
+                                                        con->fc_qualname))
                 {
                     goto fail;
                 }
-
                 _PyErr_Format(tstate, PyExc_TypeError,
-                            "%U() got an unexpected keyword argument '%S'",
-                          con->fc_qualname, keyword);
+                              "%U() got an unexpected keyword argument '%S'",
+                              con->fc_qualname, keyword);
                 goto fail;
             }