The genus name Elaphrosaurus is derived from the Greek words elaphro (ελαφρός) meaning "light" as in "light-weight", a reference to its slender frame and "sauros" (σαυρος) meaning "lizard";[1] thus, "lightweight lizard". Elaphrosaurus was described and named by Werner Janensch in 1920 and the type species is Elaphrosaurus bambergi.