The epithet, emoryi, is in honor of Brigadier General William Hemsley Emory, who was chief surveyor of the U.S. Boundary Survey team of 1852 and collected specimens for the Smithsonian Institution.
The name "emoryi" honors Brigadier General William Hemsley Emory, a key figure in the U.S. Boundary Survey of 1852 who collected specimens for the Smithsonian Institution.