The genus "Melicoccus" was first described by Patrick Browne, an Irish physician and botanist, in 1756. This description was based on "M. bijugatus" trees which were cultivated in Puerto Rico. In 1760, Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin described the first species in Browne's genus, which he named "M. bijugatus". In 1762 Linnaeus used a spelling variation of the name "Melicocca bijuga". Over the next two centuries, Linnaeus' spelling variation was used in almost all publications. A proposal was made in 1994 to conserve "Melicocca" over "Melicoccus", but the proposal was rejected, leading to a restoration of the original version of the name.