dʒæmˈɔɪɾɪəs wʌz ɚɹˈɪdʒɪnəli nˈeɪmd baɪ ˈɛɹɑːl wˈaɪt ɔnðə bˈeɪsɪs ʌv tˈuː spˈɛsɪmənz ðə dʒənˈɛɹɪk nˈeɪm ɪz ɐ ɹˈɛfɹəns tə dʒˈeɪ. ˈeɪ. mˈɔɪtˈɑːməs ænd, æt ðə tˈaɪm, ɪt wʌz kənsˈɪdɚd təbi ðə mˈoʊst bˈeɪsəl vˈɜːɾɪbɹˌeɪt nˈoʊn.
Jamoytius was originally named by Errol White on the basis of two specimens (the generic name is a reference to J. A. Moy-Thomas) and, at the time, it was considered to be the most basal vertebrate known.