The genus Estrilda was introduced in 1827 by the English naturalist William John Swainson with the common waxbill as the type species.[1] The name of the genus is from astrild, the specific epithet of the common waxbill that was introduced by Carl Linnaeus in 1758.[2]
The genus formerly contained other species with "waxbill" in their common name that are now placed in the genera Coccopygia, Brunhilda and Glaucestrilda.[3]