The genus was introduced by the German naturalist Ludwig Reichenbach in 1849.

[2] The type species was subsequently designated as the Malabar pied hornbill (Anthracoceros coronatus).

[3][4] The name is a combination of the Ancient Greek words ανθραξ anthrax, ανθρακος anthrakos meaning "coal black" and κερας keras, κερως kerōs meaning "horn".

[5] A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2013 found that Anthracoceros was sister to the genus Ocyceros which contains the three grey hornbill species.

This Bucerotiformes-related article is a stub.