diff --git a/Changes b/Changes
index c97291111..1860b60e3 100644
--- a/Changes
+++ b/Changes
@@ -15,6 +15,8 @@ The contributors that suggested a given feature are shown in []. Thanks!
 
 ****  Add error if use SystemC 2.2 and earlier (pre-2011) as is deprecated.
 
+****  Improve FST dump performance, #2244. [Geza Lore]
+
 
 * Verilator 4.032 2020-04-04
 
diff --git a/include/verilated_fst_c.cpp b/include/verilated_fst_c.cpp
index b0776e468..360e9b811 100644
--- a/include/verilated_fst_c.cpp
+++ b/include/verilated_fst_c.cpp
@@ -77,10 +77,16 @@ VerilatedFst::VerilatedFst(void* fst)
     : m_fst(fst)
     , m_fullDump(true)
     , m_nextCode(1)
-    , m_scopeEscape('.') {
+    , m_scopeEscape('.')
+    , m_symbolp(NULL) {
     m_valueStrBuffer.reserve(64 + 1);  // Need enough room for quad
 }
 
+VerilatedFst::~VerilatedFst() {
+    if (m_fst) fstWriterClose(m_fst);
+    if (m_symbolp) VL_DO_CLEAR(delete[] m_symbolp, m_symbolp = NULL);
+}
+
 void VerilatedFst::open(const char* filename) VL_MT_UNSAFE {
     m_assertOne.check();
     m_fst = fstWriterCreate(filename, 1);
@@ -104,6 +110,16 @@ void VerilatedFst::open(const char* filename) VL_MT_UNSAFE {
         fstWriterSetUpscope(m_fst);
         it = m_curScope.erase(it);
     }
+
+    // convert m_code2symbol into an array for fast lookup
+    if (!m_symbolp) {
+        m_symbolp = new fstHandle[m_nextCode + 10];
+        for (Code2SymbolType::iterator it = m_code2symbol.begin(); it != m_code2symbol.end();
+             ++it) {
+            m_symbolp[it->first] = it->second;
+        }
+    }
+    m_code2symbol.clear();
 }
 
 void VerilatedFst::module(const std::string& name) { m_module = name; }
diff --git a/include/verilated_fst_c.h b/include/verilated_fst_c.h
index bd7e6a830..60516eb25 100644
--- a/include/verilated_fst_c.h
+++ b/include/verilated_fst_c.h
@@ -55,6 +55,7 @@ private:
     Code2SymbolType m_code2symbol;
     Local2FstDtype m_local2fstdtype;
     std::list<std::string> m_curScope;
+    fstHandle* m_symbolp;  ///< same as m_code2symbol, but as an array
     // CONSTRUCTORS
     VL_UNCOPYABLE(VerilatedFst);
     void declSymbol(vluint32_t code, const char* name,
@@ -65,9 +66,7 @@ private:
 
 public:
     explicit VerilatedFst(void* fst = NULL);
-    ~VerilatedFst() {
-        if (m_fst == NULL) { fstWriterClose(m_fst); }
-    }
+    ~VerilatedFst();
     void changeThread() { m_assertOne.changeThread(); }
     bool isOpen() const { return m_fst != NULL; }
     void open(const char* filename) VL_MT_UNSAFE;
@@ -140,24 +139,24 @@ public:
 
     /// Inside dumping routines, dump one signal if it has changed
     void chgBit(vluint32_t code, const vluint32_t newval) {
-        fstWriterEmitValueChange(m_fst, m_code2symbol[code], newval ? "1" : "0");
+        fstWriterEmitValueChange(m_fst, m_symbolp[code], newval ? "1" : "0");
     }
     void chgBus(vluint32_t code, const vluint32_t newval, int bits) {
-        fstWriterEmitValueChange32(m_fst, m_code2symbol[code], bits, newval);
+        fstWriterEmitValueChange32(m_fst, m_symbolp[code], bits, newval);
     }
     void chgDouble(vluint32_t code, const double newval) {
         double val = newval;
-        fstWriterEmitValueChange(m_fst, m_code2symbol[code], &val);
+        fstWriterEmitValueChange(m_fst, m_symbolp[code], &val);
     }
     void chgFloat(vluint32_t code, const float newval) {
         double val = (double)newval;
-        fstWriterEmitValueChange(m_fst, m_code2symbol[code], &val);
+        fstWriterEmitValueChange(m_fst, m_symbolp[code], &val);
     }
     void chgQuad(vluint32_t code, const vluint64_t newval, int bits) {
-        fstWriterEmitValueChange64(m_fst, m_code2symbol[code], bits, newval);
+        fstWriterEmitValueChange64(m_fst, m_symbolp[code], bits, newval);
     }
     void chgArray(vluint32_t code, const vluint32_t* newval, int bits) {
-        fstWriterEmitValueChangeVec32(m_fst, m_code2symbol[code], bits, newval);
+        fstWriterEmitValueChangeVec32(m_fst, m_symbolp[code], bits, newval);
     }
 
     void fullBit(vluint32_t code, const vluint32_t newval) { chgBit(code, newval); }