diff --git a/src/include/stir/ByteOrderDefine.h b/src/include/stir/ByteOrderDefine.h
index de909de3b..ca18f2d8f 100644
--- a/src/include/stir/ByteOrderDefine.h
+++ b/src/include/stir/ByteOrderDefine.h
@@ -23,10 +23,14 @@
 START_NAMESPACE_STIR
 
 // currently checked by asserts()
+// partially from https://stackoverflow.com/a/27054190
 #if !defined(__alpha) && (!defined(_WIN32) || defined(_M_PPC) || defined(_M_MPPC)) && !defined(__i386__) && !defined(__i486__)   \
         && !defined(__i586__) && !defined(__i686__) && !defined(__i786__) && !defined(__i886__) && !defined(__k6__)              \
         && !defined(__athlon__) && !defined(__x86_64__) && !defined(__k6__)                                                      \
-    || (defined(__MSL__) && !defined(__LITTLE_ENDIAN))
+    || (defined(__MSL__) && !defined(__LITTLE_ENDIAN)) || (defined(__BYTE_ORDER) && __BYTE_ORDER == __BIG_ENDIAN)                \
+    || (defined(__BYTE_ORDER__) && (__BYTE_ORDER__ == __ORDER_BIG_ENDIAN__) /* gcc */) || defined(__BIG_ENDIAN__)                \
+    || defined(__ARMEB__) || defined(__THUMBEB__) || defined(__AARCH64EB__) || defined(_MIBSEB) || defined(__MIBSEB)             \
+    || defined(__MIBSEB__)
 #  define STIRIsNativeByteOrderBigEndian 1
 #  define STIRIsNativeByteOrderLittleEndian 0
 #else