The species was first scientifically described by the famed French naturalist Georges Cuvier in 1833 based on the holotype specimen taken in the Seychelles. Cuvier named his species "Caranx gymnostethus", with the specific epithet meaning 'naked breast' in reference to its scaleless breast. The species was later reassigned to the genus "Carangoides", where it has remained since. In 1851, Pieter Bleeker named what he believed to be a new species "Carangoides gymnostethoides", which literally translates as 'like "Carangoides gymnostethus"', indicating its similarity to the bludger. This was later found to be the same as "Carangoides gymnostethus" and became a junior synonym.