The genus is named in honour of C. R. Narayan Rao in recognition of his contribution to Indian batrachology. The other root orchestes is based on an older genus name for frogs of the Philautus group, Orchestes Tschudi 1838. Extensive exploration in the range of the genus in the Western Ghats of India suggests an under-estimation of the number of species in the genus. A study of the diverse specie of the genus show that the separate isolated massifs of the Western Ghats played a major role in the speciation and habitat specificity seen in the genus of bush frogs.