diff --git a/src/dataframe.jl b/src/dataframe.jl
index fd48509907..290bea948e 100644
--- a/src/dataframe.jl
+++ b/src/dataframe.jl
@@ -1730,10 +1730,6 @@ function isfinite(df::DataFrame)
     return DataFrame(res_columns, colnames(df))
 end
 
-function sortby(df::DataFrame, colname::String)
-    return df[order(df[colname]), :]
-end
-
 # TODO: Use cor_pearson and cov_pearson for DataMatrix to do this
 function cor_pearson(df::DataFrame)
     numeric_cols = find(map(t -> t <: Number, coltypes(df)))
@@ -1759,6 +1755,95 @@ function flipud!(df::DataFrame)
     return
 end
 
+
+##############################################################################
+## Sorting
+##############################################################################
+
+import Sort.sort, Sort.sortby, Sort.By, 
+       Sort.sort!, Sort.sortby!,
+       Sort.Algorithm, Sort.Ordering, 
+       Sort.lt, Sort.Perm, Sort.Forward
+
+typealias ColIndexVec Union(AbstractVector{Integer}, AbstractVector{ASCIIString}, AbstractVector{UTF8String}, AbstractVector{Symbol})
+
+const DF_STABLE_SORT = Sort.TimSort()
+
+# Permute indices according to the ordering of the given dataframe columns
+type DFPerm{O<:Ordering,DF<:AbstractDataFrame} <: Ordering
+    ords::AbstractVector{O}
+    df::DF
+end
+
+function DFPerm{O<:Ordering,DF<:AbstractDataFrame}(o::AbstractVector{Ordering}, df::DF)
+    o_cols = length(o)
+    df_cols = ncols(df)
+    if o_cols > df_cols
+        error("DFPerm: number of column orderings is greater than the number of columns")
+    end
+    if o_cols < df_cols
+        o = cat(1, o, fill(Sort.Forward(), df_cols-o_cols))
+    end
+    DFPerm{O,DF}(o, df[cols])
+end
+
+DFPerm{O<:Ordering,DF<:AbstractDataFrame}(o::O,  df::DF) = DFPerm{O,DF}(fill(o,ncol(df)), df)
+DFPerm{            DF<:AbstractDataFrame}(       df::DF) = DFPerm(Sort.Forward(), df)
+
+function lt(o::DFPerm, a, b)
+    for i = 1:ncol(o.df)
+        if lt(o.ords[i], o.df[a,i], o.df[b,i])
+            return true
+        end
+        if lt(o.ords[i], o.df[b,i], o.df[a,i])
+            return false
+        end
+    end
+    false
+end
+
+# TODO: move [1:nrow(df)] first if/when julia pull #2179 is applied
+sortperm(df::AbstractDataFrame, a::Algorithm, o::Union(Perm,DFPerm)) = sort!(a, o, [1:nrow(df)])
+sortperm(df::AbstractDataFrame, a::Algorithm, o::Ordering) = sortperm(df, a, DFPerm(o,df))
+sort    (df::AbstractDataFrame, a::Algorithm, o::Ordering) = df[sortperm(df, a, o),:]
+
+function sort!(df::AbstractDataFrame, a::Algorithm, o::Ordering)
+    p = sortperm(df, a, o)
+    pp = similar(p)
+    for col in df.columns
+        copy!(pp,p)
+        permute!!(col, pp)
+    end
+    df
+end
+
+for s in {:sort!, :sort, :sortperm}
+    @eval begin
+        $s{O<:Ordering}(df::AbstractDataFrame, ::Type{O})   = $s(df, DF_STABLE_SORT, O())
+        $s             (df::AbstractDataFrame, o::Ordering) = $s(df, DF_STABLE_SORT, o)
+        $s             (df::AbstractDataFrame             ) = $s(df, Sort.Forward())
+    end
+end
+
+for (sb,s) in {(:sortby!, :sort!), (:sortby, :sort)}
+    @eval begin
+        $sb(df::AbstractDataFrame, by::Function) = $s(df,By(by))
+
+        $sb{O<:Ordering}(df::AbstractDataFrame, col::ColumnIndex, ::Type{O})   = $s(df,Perm(O(),df[col]))
+        $sb             (df::AbstractDataFrame, col::ColumnIndex, o::Ordering) = $s(df,Perm(o,df[col]))
+        $sb             (df::AbstractDataFrame, col::ColumnIndex)              = $sb(df,col,Sort.Forward())
+
+        $sb{O<:Ordering}(df::AbstractDataFrame, cols::ColIndexVec, ::Type{O})   = $s(df,DFPerm(O(),df[cols]))
+        $sb             (df::AbstractDataFrame, cols::ColIndexVec, o::Ordering) = $s(df,DFPerm(o,  df[cols]))
+        $sb             (df::AbstractDataFrame, cols::ColIndexVec)              = $sb(df,cols,Sort.Forward())
+
+        $sb{O<:Ordering}(df::AbstractDataFrame, cols::ColIndexVec, o::AbstractArray{O})             = $s(df,DFPerm(o, df[cols]))
+        $sb             (df::AbstractDataFrame, cols::ColIndexVec, o::AbstractArray{CompositeKind}) = $s(df,DFPerm(Ordering[O() for O in o], df[cols]))
+        $sb             (df::AbstractDataFrame, cols::ColIndexVec, o::AbstractArray)                = $sb(df,cols,CompositeKind[ot for ot in o])
+        $sb             (df::AbstractDataFrame, col_ord::AbstractArray{Tuple}) = ((cols,o) = zip(col_ord...); $sb(df, [cols...], [o...]))
+    end
+end
+
 ##############################################################################
 ##
 ## Iteration: EachRow, EachCol