The red-rumped swallow was formally described by Finnish-Swedish clergyman, explorer and natural scientist Erik Laxmann in 1769 as "Hirundo daurica", using a specimen from Mount Schlangen near Zmeinogorsk Russia. It is now usually placed in the genus "Cecropis" created by German scientist Friedrich Boie in 1826, although it is arguable how distinct this genus is from "Hirundo", and some authorities retain it in that genus. Boie's genus name "Cecropis" is from the Ancient Greek for an Athenian woman. The specific "daurica" is derived from Dauria, a mountainous region to the east of Lake Baikal in Russia. the alternative genus "Hirundo" is the Latin word for "swallow". Some authorities consider the West African swallow to be a subspecies of the red-rumped swallow.