ðə dʒənˈɛɹɪk nˈeɪm ɪz ɐ kˈɑːmpaʊnd nˈaʊn, mˌeɪd ˌʌp ʌvðə sˈɜːneɪm ɡɹˈiːnwʊd, ɪn ˈɑːnɚɹ ʌvðə bɹˈɪɾɪʃ ˌɪkθɪˈɑːlədʒˌɪst pˈiːɾɚ hˈʌmfɹi ɡɹˈiːnwʊd nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti sˈɛvən dˈæʃ nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd nˈaɪnti fˈaɪv, ænd ðə ɡɹˈiːk wˈɜːd kɹˈoʊmiz wˌɪtʃ wʌz jˈuːzd baɪ ˈæɹɪstˌɑːɾəl fɚɹə tˈaɪp ʌv fˈɪʃ.
The generic name is a compound noun, made up of the surname Greenwood, in honour of the British ichthyologist Peter Humphry Greenwood (1927-1995), and the Greek word chromis which was used by Aristotle for a type of fish.