 The specific epithet is derived from the Ancient Greek words "cerat-" "horn" and "phyllon" "leaf", relating to the leaves' resemblance to antlers.In 1891, German botanist Otto Kuntze published "Revisio generum plantarum", his response to what he perceived as a lack of method in existing nomenclatural practice.Because "Isopogon" was based on "Isopogon anemonifolius", and that species had already been placed by Richard Salisbury in the segregate genus "Atylus" in 1807, Kuntze revived the latter genus on the grounds of priority, and made the new combination "Atylus ceratophyllus" for this species.