in 2019, the type species "mnyamawamtuka moyowamkia" was named and described by eric gorscak and patrick m. o’connor. the generic name is a contraction of the kiswahili "mnyama wa mtuka", the "beast of the mtuka". the describers made explicit that they considered "beast" to be an apt name for a member of the titanosauria. the specific name is a contraction of "moyo wa mkia", meaning the "heart of the tail" in kiswahili, a reference to the heart-shaped cross-section of the rear facet of the middle tail vertebrae.