The full name of the dinosaur is "Oxalaia quilombensis". The animal was named by Brazilian palaeontologists Alexander Kellner, Elaine Machado, Sergio Azevedo, Deise Henriques, and Luciana Carvalho. The first part of the dinosaur's name (the genus) comes from an African god. The second part of the name (the species) comes from the "quilombos", a group of Brazilian towns.