Between 1992 and 1995 amateur paleontologists Patrick Méchin and Annie Méchin-Salessy uncovered the remains of a small theropod in the Grès à Reptiles Formation (Campanian-Maastrichtian) at La Bastide Neuve, near Fox-Amphoux. The first finds were in 1992 assigned to the dubious theropod genus "Elopteryx". A second article, in 1997, concluded they represented a new species. In 1998 this was named by Jean Le Loeuff and Eric Buffetaut as the type species "Variraptor mechinorum". The generic name is derived from Latin "Varus", referring to the Var River in the Alpes-Maritimes department in the Provence region of southern France, and "raptor" meaning "thief". The specific name honours the Méchin couple.