Linnaeus specified the locality as "Asia", but this is now taken to be Ambon Island in the Maluku Islands. The purple-naped lory is now placed in the genus Lorius that was introduced in 1825 by the Irish zoologist Nicholas Aylward Vigors. The species is monotypic: no subspecies are recognised.
Linnaeus initially pinpointed the location as "Asia", but it has been reevaluated to be Ambon Island in the Maluku Islands. The purple-naped lory is now classified under the genus Lorius, established by Vigors in 1825. This species stands out as a singular entity, with no recognized subcategories.