diff --git a/docs/markdown/Reference-tables.md b/docs/markdown/Reference-tables.md
index e4e964c2d3d7..a5d0d5cdcc18 100644
--- a/docs/markdown/Reference-tables.md
+++ b/docs/markdown/Reference-tables.md
@@ -182,6 +182,7 @@ Native names as returned by the `.kernel()` method.
 | freebsd | |
 | openbsd | |
 | netbsd  | |
+| gnu     | GNU Hurd |
 | nt      | |
 | xnu                 | Kernel of various Apple OSes    |
 | illumos             | Kernel derived from OpenSolaris by community efforts |
diff --git a/mesonbuild/environment.py b/mesonbuild/environment.py
index 71a2f3afcb6a..2621b9ca2db1 100644
--- a/mesonbuild/environment.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/environment.py
@@ -476,6 +476,7 @@ def detect_cpu(compilers: CompilersDict) -> str:
                                         'darwin': 'xnu',
                                         'dragonfly': 'dragonfly',
                                         'haiku': 'haiku',
+                                        'gnu': 'gnu',
                                         }
 
 def detect_kernel(system: str) -> T.Optional[str]:
diff --git a/mesonbuild/scripts/env2mfile.py b/mesonbuild/scripts/env2mfile.py
index 207d75749c95..b2c9a45b2f80 100755
--- a/mesonbuild/scripts/env2mfile.py
+++ b/mesonbuild/scripts/env2mfile.py
@@ -156,6 +156,7 @@ def get_args_from_envvars(infos: MachineInfo) -> None:
 # map from DEB_HOST_ARCH_OS to Meson machine.kernel()
 deb_kernel_map = {
     'kfreebsd': 'freebsd',
+    'hurd': 'gnu',
 }
 
 def replace_special_cases(special_cases: T.Mapping[str, str], name: str) -> str:
diff --git a/unittests/internaltests.py b/unittests/internaltests.py
index 23d08e6e2992..3f50ac6e009b 100644
--- a/unittests/internaltests.py
+++ b/unittests/internaltests.py
@@ -1933,11 +1933,7 @@ def expected_binaries(gnu_tuple: str) -> T.Dict[str, T.List[str]]:
                     },
                     system='gnu',
                     subsystem='gnu',
-                    # TODO: Currently hurd; should match whatever happens
-                    # during native builds, but at the moment native builds
-                    # fail when kernel() is called.
-                    # https://github.com/mesonbuild/meson/issues/13740
-                    kernel='TODO',
+                    kernel='gnu',
                     cpu='i686',
                     cpu_family='x86',
                     endian='little',