"Oryzomys gorgasi" is the southeasternmost representative of the genus "Oryzomys", which extends north into the eastern United States (marsh rice rat, "O. palustris"). "O. gorgasi" is further part of the "O. couesi" section, which is centered on the widespread Central American "O. couesi" and also includes six other species with more limited and peripheral distributions. Many aspects of the systematics of the "O. couesi" section remain unclear and it is likely that the current classification underestimates the true diversity of the group. "Oryzomys" is classified in the tribe Oryzomyini, a diverse assemblage of American rodents of over a hundred species, and on higher taxonomic levels in the subfamily Sigmodontinae of family Cricetidae, along with hundreds of other species of mainly small rodents.