The generic name is derived from Tupi word Caipira which refers to the traditional inhabitants of interior of São Paulo, covering almost all of the Bauru Basin, and Greek souchus meaning "crocodile".

The specific name is derived from "Paulista", the designation for the residents of São Paulo State, where the holotype was found.

It was collected from the Adamantina Formation of the Bauru Basin, which dates to the Turonian and Santonian stages of the Late Cretaceous.

It was collected from the Bairro Cachoeira locality at the base of the Serra da Água Limpa, about 8 km northwest of Monte Alto, from the Adamantina Formation.

Caipirasuchus also has large pterygoid and ectopterygoid bones and a well-developed hole in front of the eye sockets called the antorbital fenestra.