diff --git a/include/libcamera/internal/media_device.h b/include/libcamera/internal/media_device.h
index b3a48b98..3f28793f 100644
--- a/include/libcamera/internal/media_device.h
+++ b/include/libcamera/internal/media_device.h
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@
 #include <linux/media.h>
 
 #include <libcamera/base/log.h>
+#include <libcamera/base/regex.h>
 #include <libcamera/base/signal.h>
 #include <libcamera/base/unique_fd.h>
 
@@ -45,6 +46,7 @@ public:
 
 	const std::vector<MediaEntity *> &entities() const { return entities_; }
 	MediaEntity *getEntityByName(const std::string &name) const;
+	MediaEntity *getEntityByName(const std::regex &name) const;
 
 	MediaLink *link(const std::string &sourceName, unsigned int sourceIdx,
 			const std::string &sinkName, unsigned int sinkIdx);
diff --git a/src/libcamera/media_device.cpp b/src/libcamera/media_device.cpp
index 353f34a8..a0c0df86 100644
--- a/src/libcamera/media_device.cpp
+++ b/src/libcamera/media_device.cpp
@@ -341,6 +341,31 @@ MediaEntity *MediaDevice::getEntityByName(const std::string &name) const
 	return nullptr;
 }
 
+/**
+ * \brief Return the MediaEntity with name matching the regex \a name
+ * \param[in] name A regex to match the entity name
+ * \return The entity with name matching the regex \a name, or nullptr if no
+ * such entity is found
+ */
+MediaEntity *MediaDevice::getEntityByName(const std::regex &name) const
+{
+	MediaEntity *entity = nullptr;
+
+	for (MediaEntity *e : entities_) {
+		if (std::regex_search(e->name(), name)) {
+			if (entity) {
+				LOG(MediaDevice, Error)
+					<< "Multiple entities match given regex";
+				return nullptr;
+			}
+
+			entity = e;
+		}
+	}
+
+	return entity;
+}
+
 /**
  * \brief Retrieve the MediaLink connecting two pads, identified by entity
  * names and pad indexes