diff --git a/lld/ELF/MarkLive.cpp b/lld/ELF/MarkLive.cpp
--- a/lld/ELF/MarkLive.cpp
+++ b/lld/ELF/MarkLive.cpp
@@ -270,7 +270,11 @@
 
     if (isReserved(sec) || script->shouldKeep(sec)) {
       enqueue(sec, 0);
-    } else if (isValidCIdentifier(sec->name)) {
+    } else if (sec->getSize() == 0 && sec->name.startswith("__llvm_prf_")) {
+      // libclang_rt-profile-* need GCC 11/Clang 13 to mark zero size
+      // __llvm_prf_* SHF_GNU_RETAIN. Without this workaround,
+      // -fprofile-generate/-fprofile-instr-generate linked programs may have
+      // spurious 'undefined hidden symbol: __start___llvm_prf_vnds' errors.
       cNamedSections[saver.save("__start_" + sec->name)].push_back(sec);
       cNamedSections[saver.save("__stop_" + sec->name)].push_back(sec);
     }
diff --git a/lld/test/ELF/gc-sections-metadata-startstop.s b/lld/test/ELF/gc-sections-metadata-startstop.s
--- a/lld/test/ELF/gc-sections-metadata-startstop.s
+++ b/lld/test/ELF/gc-sections-metadata-startstop.s
@@ -3,16 +3,30 @@
 
 # RUN: llvm-mc -filetype=obj -triple=x86_64-pc-linux %s -o %t.o
 # RUN: ld.lld --gc-sections %t.o -o %t
-# RUN: llvm-objdump --section-headers -t %t | FileCheck  %s
+# RUN: llvm-readelf -S -s %t | FileCheck %s
 
-# CHECK: Sections:
-# CHECK-NOT: yy
-# CHECK: xx {{.*}} DATA
-# CHECK-NOT: yy
+## Note: we used to retain the C identifier name section xx due to __start_/__stop_.
 
-# CHECK: SYMBOL TABLE:
-# CHECK:   xx    0000000000000000 .protected __start_xx
-# CHECK: w *UND* 0000000000000000 __start_yy
+## To make -fprofile-generate/-fprofile-instr-generated compiled programs link with libclang_rt.profile-*
+## built with GCC<11/Clang<13, we install a workaround to retain zero size sections.
+
+# CHECK:       Name              Type            Address          Off    Size   ES Flg Lk Inf
+# CHECK-NOT:   xx
+# CHECK-NOT:   yy
+# CHECK:       __llvm_prf_names  PROGBITS        0000000000200158 000158 000000 00   A  0   0
+# CHECK-NEXT:  .text             PROGBITS        0000000000201158 000158 000030 00  AX  0   0
+# CHECK-NEXT:  __llvm_prf_cnts   PROGBITS        0000000000202188 000188 000000 00  WA  0   0
+# CHECK-NEXT:  __llvm_prf_data   PROGBITS        0000000000202188 000188 000000 00  WA  0   0
+# CHECK-NEXT:  __llvm_prf_vnds   PROGBITS        0000000000202188 000188 000000 00  WA  0   0
+# CHECK-NOT:   xx
+# CHECK-NOT:   yy
+
+# CHECK:       WEAK DEFAULT UND __start_xx
+# CHECK:       WEAK DEFAULT UND __start_yy
+# CHECK:       GLOBAL PROTECTED [[#]] __start___llvm_prf_names
+# CHECK:       GLOBAL PROTECTED [[#]] __start___llvm_prf_cnts
+# CHECK:       GLOBAL PROTECTED [[#]] __start___llvm_prf_data
+# CHECK:       GLOBAL PROTECTED [[#]] __start___llvm_prf_vnds
 
 .weak __start_xx
 .weak __start_yy
@@ -21,6 +35,10 @@
 _start:
 .quad __start_xx
 .quad __start_yy
+.quad __start___llvm_prf_names
+.quad __start___llvm_prf_cnts
+.quad __start___llvm_prf_data
+.quad __start___llvm_prf_vnds
 
 .section xx,"a"
 .quad 0
@@ -31,3 +49,17 @@
 .section yy,"ao",@progbits,.foo
 .quad 0
 
+
+.section __llvm_prf_names,"a",@progbits
+.section __llvm_prf_cnts,"aw",@progbits
+.section __llvm_prf_data,"aw",@progbits
+.section __llvm_prf_vnds,"aw",@progbits
+
+.section __llvm_prf_names,"a",@progbits,unique,1
+.byte 0
+.section __llvm_prf_cnts,"aw",@progbits,unique,1
+.byte 0
+.section __llvm_prf_data,"aw",@progbits,unique,1
+.byte 0
+.section __llvm_prf_vnds,"aw",@progbits,unique,1
+.byte 0
diff --git a/lld/test/ELF/linkerscript/sections-gc2.s b/lld/test/ELF/linkerscript/sections-gc2.s
--- a/lld/test/ELF/linkerscript/sections-gc2.s
+++ b/lld/test/ELF/linkerscript/sections-gc2.s
@@ -10,7 +10,6 @@
 
 # CHECK: Idx Name          Size      VMA          Type
 # CHECK-NEXT:  0
-# CHECK-NEXT:    used_in_reloc
 # CHECK-NEXT:    .text
 # CHECK-NEXT:    .comment
 # CHECK-NEXT:    .symtab
diff --git a/lld/test/ELF/lto/section-name.ll b/lld/test/ELF/lto/section-name.ll
--- a/lld/test/ELF/lto/section-name.ll
+++ b/lld/test/ELF/lto/section-name.ll
@@ -28,8 +28,7 @@
 ; CHECK-NEXT:     bar_section PROGBITS
 ; CHECK-NOT: zed_section
 
+;; Note: we used to retain foo_section/bar_section due to __start_/__stop_.
 ; GC-NOT: zed_section
 ; GC-NOT: foo_section
-; GC:     bar_section PROGBITS
-; GC-NOT: zed_section
-; GC-NOT: foo_section
+; GC-NOT: bar_section
diff --git a/lld/test/ELF/relocatable-gc.s b/lld/test/ELF/relocatable-gc.s
--- a/lld/test/ELF/relocatable-gc.s
+++ b/lld/test/ELF/relocatable-gc.s
@@ -47,18 +47,16 @@
 
 # KEEP_START:      [ 1] .text
 # KEEP_START-NEXT: [ 2] .rela.text
-# KEEP_START-NEXT: [ 3] qux
-# KEEP_START-NEXT: [ 4] .group
-# KEEP_START-NEXT: [ 5] .fred
-# KEEP_START-NEXT: [ 6] .rela.fred
-# KEEP_START-NEXT: [ 7] .note.GNU-stack
+# KEEP_START-NEXT: [ 3] .group
+# KEEP_START-NEXT: [ 4] .fred
+# KEEP_START-NEXT: [ 5] .rela.fred
+# KEEP_START-NEXT: [ 6] .note.GNU-stack
 
-# KEEP_START:      Symbol table '.symtab' contains 10 entries:
-# KEEP_START:      5: {{.*}} SECTION
-# KEEP_START-NEXT: 6: {{.*}}   1 _start
-# KEEP_START-NEXT: 7: {{.*}}   5 fred
-# KEEP_START-NEXT: 8: {{.*}} UND __start_qux
-# KEEP_START-NEXT: 9: {{.*}} UND fred_und
+# KEEP_START:      Symbol table '.symtab' contains 9 entries:
+# KEEP_START:      5: {{.*}}   1 _start
+# KEEP_START-NEXT: 6: {{.*}}   4 fred
+# KEEP_START-NEXT: 7: {{.*}} UND __start_qux
+# KEEP_START-NEXT: 8: {{.*}} UND fred_und
 
 .section qux,"a",@progbits
   .byte 0
diff --git a/lld/test/ELF/startstop-gccollect.s b/lld/test/ELF/startstop-gccollect.s
--- a/lld/test/ELF/startstop-gccollect.s
+++ b/lld/test/ELF/startstop-gccollect.s
@@ -8,14 +8,17 @@
 ## Check that foo and bar sections are not garbage collected,
 ## we do not want to reclaim sections if they are referred
 ## by __start_* and __stop_* symbols.
-# RUN: ld.lld %t --gc-sections -o %tout
-# RUN: llvm-objdump -d %tout | FileCheck --check-prefix=DISASM %s
+# RUN: not ld.lld %t --gc-sections -o /dev/null 2>&1 | FileCheck %s --check-prefix=ERR1 --implicit-check-not=error:
+
+# ERR1: error: undefined symbol: __start_foo
+# ERR1: error: undefined symbol: __stop_bar
 
 # RUN: echo ".global __start_foo; __start_foo:" > %t2.s
 # RUN: llvm-mc -filetype=obj -triple=x86_64-unknown-linux %t2.s -o %t2.o
 # RUN: ld.lld -shared %t2.o -o %t2.so
-# RUN: ld.lld %t --gc-sections -o %tout %t2.so
-# RUN: llvm-objdump -d %tout | FileCheck --check-prefix=DISASM %s
+# RUN: not ld.lld %t %t2.so --gc-sections -o /dev/null 2>&1 | FileCheck %s --check-prefix=ERR2 --implicit-check-not=error:
+
+# ERR2: error: undefined symbol: __stop_bar
 
 # DISASM:      <_start>:
 # DISASM-NEXT:   callq   {{.*}} <__start_foo>