 The genus "Daubentonia" was named after the French naturalist Louis-Jean-Marie Daubenton by his student, Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire, in 1795.Initially, Geoffroy considered using the Greek name "Scolecophagus" ("worm-eater") in reference to its eating habits, but he decided against it because he was uncertain about the aye-aye's habits and whether other related species might eventually be discovered.In 1863, British zoologist John Edward Gray coined the family name Daubentoniidae.