diff --git a/esm.js b/esm.js
index c5fbfc4c4..010f2515e 100644
--- a/esm.js
+++ b/esm.js
@@ -171,9 +171,9 @@ if (cachePath !== "") {
           circular: 0,
           code: null,
           codeWithTDZ: null,
+          ctime: -1,
           filename: null,
           firstAwaitOutsideFunction: null,
-          mtime: -1,
           scriptData,
           sourceType: 1,
           transforms: 0,
diff --git a/src/caching-compiler.js b/src/caching-compiler.js
index 3f971a1be..e84e6cfbc 100644
--- a/src/caching-compiler.js
+++ b/src/caching-compiler.js
@@ -65,9 +65,9 @@ function init() {
         circular: 0,
         code: null,
         codeWithTDZ: null,
+        ctime: -1,
         filename: null,
         firstAwaitOutsideFunction: null,
-        mtime: -1,
         scriptData: null,
         sourceType: SOURCE_TYPE_SCRIPT,
         transforms: 0,
@@ -90,7 +90,7 @@ function init() {
           }
         }
 
-        result.mtime = +meta[3]
+        result.ctime = +meta[3]
         result.sourceType = +meta[4]
         result.transforms = +meta[2]
       }
@@ -123,8 +123,8 @@ function init() {
       return result
     }
 
+    result.ctime = options.ctime
     result.filename = options.filename
-    result.mtime = options.mtime
 
     return result
   }
@@ -293,9 +293,9 @@ function init() {
 
         if (compileData !== null) {
           const {
+            ctime,
             filename,
             firstAwaitOutsideFunction,
-            mtime,
             sourceType,
             transforms
           } = compileData
@@ -313,7 +313,7 @@ function init() {
             if (transforms !== 0) {
               meta.push(
                 transforms,
-                mtime,
+                ctime,
                 sourceType,
                 deflatedFirstAwaitOutsideFunction,
                 relative(cachePath, filename)
@@ -322,7 +322,7 @@ function init() {
           } else {
             meta.push(
               transforms,
-              mtime,
+              ctime,
               sourceType,
               deflatedFirstAwaitOutsideFunction,
               relative(cachePath, filename),
diff --git a/src/compiler.js b/src/compiler.js
index f3aa084b4..9647b0693 100644
--- a/src/compiler.js
+++ b/src/compiler.js
@@ -63,9 +63,9 @@ function init() {
         circular: 0,
         code,
         codeWithTDZ: null,
+        ctime: -1,
         filename: null,
         firstAwaitOutsideFunction: null,
-        mtime: -1,
         scriptData: null,
         sourceType: SOURCE_TYPE_SCRIPT,
         transforms: 0,
diff --git a/src/entry.js b/src/entry.js
index 50dfbaf98..4557c162e 100644
--- a/src/entry.js
+++ b/src/entry.js
@@ -15,9 +15,9 @@ import encodeId from "./util/encode-id.js"
 import errors from "./errors.js"
 import getCacheName from "./util/get-cache-name.js"
 import getCacheStateHash from "./util/get-cache-state-hash.js"
+import getCtime from "./fs/get-ctime.js"
 import getModuleDirname from "./util/get-module-dirname.js"
 import getModuleName from "./util/get-module-name.js"
-import getMtime from "./fs/get-mtime.js"
 import getPrototypeOf from "./util/get-prototype-of.js"
 import has from "./util/has.js"
 import isCalledFromStrictCode from "./util/is-called-from-strict-code.js"
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ class Entry {
     setDeferred(this, "cacheName", () => {
       const pkg = this.package
 
-      return getCacheName(this.mtime, {
+      return getCacheName(this.ctime, {
         cachePath: pkg.cachePath,
         filename: this.filename,
         packageOptions: pkg.options
@@ -188,9 +188,9 @@ class Entry {
       return createImmutableNamespaceProxy(this, this._completeNamespace)
     })
 
-    // The mtime of the module.
-    setDeferred(this, "mtime", () => {
-      return getMtime(this.filename)
+    // The ctime of the module.
+    setDeferred(this, "ctime", () => {
+      return getCtime(this.filename)
     })
 
     // The mutable namespace object that non-ESM importers receive.
diff --git a/src/fs/get-mtime.js b/src/fs/get-ctime.js
similarity index 57%
rename from src/fs/get-mtime.js
rename to src/fs/get-ctime.js
index 332ce2fad..b99fabd5b 100644
--- a/src/fs/get-mtime.js
+++ b/src/fs/get-ctime.js
@@ -4,28 +4,26 @@ import shared from "../shared.js"
 import statSync from "../fs/stat-sync.js"
 
 function init() {
-  const { round } = Math
-
-  function getMtime(filename) {
+  function getCtime(filename) {
     if (typeof filename === "string") {
       try {
         const stat = statSync(filename)
-        const { mtimeMs } = stat
+        const { ctimeMs } = stat
 
         // Add 0.5 to avoid rounding down.
         // https://github.com/nodejs/node/pull/12607
-        return typeof mtimeMs === "number"
-          ? round(mtimeMs + 0.5)
-          : GenericDate.getTime(stat.mtime)
+        return typeof ctimeMs === "number"
+          ? Math.round(ctimeMs + 0.5)
+          : GenericDate.getTime(stat.ctime)
       } catch {}
     }
 
     return -1
   }
 
-  return getMtime
+  return getCtime
 }
 
 export default shared.inited
-  ? shared.module.fsGetMtime
-  : shared.module.fsGetMtime = init()
+  ? shared.module.fsGetCtime
+  : shared.module.fsGetCtime = init()
diff --git a/src/module/internal/compile.js b/src/module/internal/compile.js
index 8876d7af2..f171ff081 100644
--- a/src/module/internal/compile.js
+++ b/src/module/internal/compile.js
@@ -133,9 +133,9 @@ function compile(caller, entry, content, filename, fallback) {
           circular: 0,
           code: null,
           codeWithTDZ: null,
+          ctime: -1,
           filename: null,
           firstAwaitOutsideFunction: null,
-          mtime: -1,
           scriptData: null,
           sourceType: hint,
           transforms: 0,
@@ -165,9 +165,9 @@ function compile(caller, entry, content, filename, fallback) {
           cachePath: pkg.cachePath,
           cjsPaths,
           cjsVars,
+          ctime: entry.ctime,
           filename,
           hint,
-          mtime: entry.mtime,
           runtimeName: entry.runtimeName,
           sourceType,
           topLevelReturn