Eucalyptus gamophylla was first formally described by the botanist Ferdinand von Mueller in 1878 in his book Fragmenta Phytographiae Australiae. The type specimen was collected by John Forrest from Mount Pyrten in the Hamersley Range and cited as In monte Pyrten tractus Hammersley-Range, altitudine 2,500' supra mare. According to Francis Aubi Sharr, the specific epithet (gamophylla) is derived from the ancient Greek gamos meaning marriage and -phyllus meaning -leaved, referring to the bases of the opposite leaves being joined. A Greek-English Lexicon of Liddell, Scott and Jones give gamos (γάμος) as the ancient Greek word for wedding, marriage or wedlock.: and phyllon (φύλλον) as leaf.: