diff --git a/src/categories/create.js b/src/categories/create.js
index 46aae0a097..81097650e1 100644
--- a/src/categories/create.js
+++ b/src/categories/create.js
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ module.exports = function (Categories) {
 		const parentCid = data.parentCid ? data.parentCid : 0;
 		const cid = await db.incrObjectField('global', 'nextCid');
 
-		data.name = data.name || 'Category ' + cid;
+		data.name = String(data.name || 'Category ' + cid);
 		const slug = cid + '/' + slugify(data.name);
 		const order = data.order || cid;	// If no order provided, place it at the end
 		const colours = Categories.assignColours();
@@ -53,7 +53,12 @@ module.exports = function (Categories) {
 		if (!category.descriptionParsed) {
 			await Categories.parseDescription(category.cid, category.description);
 		}
-		await db.sortedSetsAdd(['categories:cid', 'cid:' + parentCid + ':children'], category.order, category.cid);
+
+		await db.sortedSetAddBulk([
+			['categories:cid', category.order, category.cid],
+			['cid:' + parentCid + ':children', category.order, category.cid],
+			['categories:name', 0, data.name.substr(0, 200).toLowerCase() + ':' + category.cid],
+		]);
 
 		const defaultPrivileges = [
 			'groups:find',
diff --git a/src/categories/index.js b/src/categories/index.js
index 5fb73e475f..4f74c6b6d1 100644
--- a/src/categories/index.js
+++ b/src/categories/index.js
@@ -21,6 +21,7 @@ require('./activeusers')(Categories);
 require('./recentreplies')(Categories);
 require('./update')(Categories);
 require('./watch')(Categories);
+require('./search')(Categories);
 
 Categories.exists = async function (cid) {
 	if (Array.isArray(cid)) {
diff --git a/src/categories/search.js b/src/categories/search.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..4bab418caa
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/categories/search.js
@@ -0,0 +1,71 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const _ = require('lodash');
+
+const privileges = require('../privileges');
+const plugins = require('../plugins');
+const db = require('../database');
+
+module.exports = function (Categories) {
+	Categories.search = async function (data) {
+		const query = data.query || '';
+		const page = data.page || 1;
+		const uid = data.uid || 0;
+		const paginate = data.hasOwnProperty('paginate') ? data.paginate : true;
+
+		const startTime = process.hrtime();
+
+		let cids = await findCids(query, data.hardCap);
+
+		const result = await plugins.hooks.fire('filter:categories.search', {
+			cids: cids,
+			uid: uid,
+		});
+		cids = await privileges.categories.filterCids('find', result.cids, uid);
+
+		const searchResult = {
+			matchCount: cids.length,
+		};
+
+		if (paginate) {
+			const resultsPerPage = data.resultsPerPage || 50;
+			const start = Math.max(0, page - 1) * resultsPerPage;
+			const stop = start + resultsPerPage;
+			searchResult.pageCount = Math.ceil(cids.length / resultsPerPage);
+			cids = cids.slice(start, stop);
+		}
+
+		const childrenCids = await getChildrenCids(cids, uid);
+		const uniqCids = _.uniq(cids.concat(childrenCids));
+		const categoryData = await Categories.getCategories(uniqCids, uid);
+
+		Categories.getTree(categoryData, 0);
+		await Categories.getRecentTopicReplies(categoryData, uid, data.qs);
+		categoryData.sort(function (c1, c2) {
+			if (c1.parentCid !== c2.parentCid) {
+				return c1.parentCid - c2.parentCid;
+			}
+			return c1.order - c2.order;
+		});
+		searchResult.timing = (process.elapsedTimeSince(startTime) / 1000).toFixed(2);
+		searchResult.categories = categoryData.filter(c => cids.includes(c.cid));
+		return searchResult;
+	};
+
+	async function findCids(query, hardCap) {
+		if (!query || String(query).length < 2) {
+			return [];
+		}
+		const data = await db.getSortedSetScan({
+			key: 'categories:name',
+			match: '*' + String(query).toLowerCase() + '*',
+			limit: hardCap || 500,
+		});
+		return data.map(data => parseInt(data.split(':').pop(), 10));
+	}
+
+	async function getChildrenCids(cids, uid) {
+		const childrenCids = await Promise.all(cids.map(cid => Categories.getChildrenCids(cid)));
+		return await privileges.categories.filterCids('find', childrenCids.flat(), uid);
+	}
+};
diff --git a/src/controllers/search.js b/src/controllers/search.js
index c93e33dba3..afc4ff34ab 100644
--- a/src/controllers/search.js
+++ b/src/controllers/search.js
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ searchController.search = async function (req, res, next) {
 	req.query.in = req.query.in || 'posts';
 	const allowed = (req.query.in === 'users' && userPrivileges['search:users']) ||
 					(req.query.in === 'tags' && userPrivileges['search:tags']) ||
+					(req.query.in === 'categories') ||
 					(['titles', 'titlesposts', 'posts'].includes(req.query.in) && userPrivileges['search:content']);
 
 	if (!allowed) {
@@ -77,8 +78,11 @@ searchController.search = async function (req, res, next) {
 		return res.json(searchData);
 	}
 
-	searchData.categories = categoriesData;
-	searchData.categoriesCount = Math.max(10, Math.min(20, categoriesData.length));
+	if (['titles', 'titlesposts', 'posts'].includes(req.query.in)) {
+		searchData.categories = categoriesData;
+		searchData.categoriesCount = Math.max(10, Math.min(20, categoriesData.length));
+	}
+
 	searchData.breadcrumbs = helpers.buildBreadcrumbs([{ text: '[[global:search]]' }]);
 	searchData.expandSearch = !req.query.term;
 
diff --git a/src/search.js b/src/search.js
index 043a69f12d..8dd0d61cc3 100644
--- a/src/search.js
+++ b/src/search.js
@@ -23,6 +23,8 @@ search.search = async function (data) {
 		result = await searchInContent(data);
 	} else if (data.searchIn === 'users') {
 		result = await user.search(data);
+	} else if (data.searchIn === 'categories') {
+		result = await categories.search(data);
 	} else if (data.searchIn === 'tags') {
 		result = await topics.searchAndLoadTags(data);
 	} else {
diff --git a/src/upgrades/1.17.0/category_name_zset.js b/src/upgrades/1.17.0/category_name_zset.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8caa44ee36
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/upgrades/1.17.0/category_name_zset.js
@@ -0,0 +1,30 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const db = require('../../database');
+const batch = require('../../batch');
+
+module.exports = {
+	name: 'Create category name sorted set',
+	timestamp: Date.UTC(2021, 0, 27),
+	method: async function () {
+		const progress = this.progress;
+
+		await batch.processSortedSet('categories:cid', async function (cids) {
+			const keys = cids.map(cid => 'category:' + cid);
+			let categoryData = await db.getObjectsFields(keys, ['cid', 'name']);
+			categoryData = categoryData.filter(c => c.cid && c.name);
+			const bulkAdd = categoryData.map(function (cat) {
+				return [
+					'categories:name',
+					0,
+					String(cat.name).substr(0, 200).toLowerCase() + ':' + cat.cid,
+				];
+			});
+			await db.sortedSetAddBulk(bulkAdd);
+			progress.incr(cids.length);
+		}, {
+			batch: 500,
+			progress: progress,
+		});
+	},
+};