[2] Diceros is more closely related to the genus Ceratotherium (which contains the white rhinoceros) than it is to other living rhinoceroses, with the clade containing the two comprising the tribe Dicerotini (also spelled Diceroti) or subtribe Dicerotina.

[3] The oldest species assigned to the genus is "Diceros" australis from the Early Miocene of Namibia,[5] dating to around 17-18 million years ago.

[3] Other species assigned to the genus include Diceros praecox from the Late Miocene (from about 7 million years ago) and the Pliocene of Sub-Saharan Africa.

[7] Diceros primaevus is known from the Late Miocene (c. 12-10 million years ago) of Algeria.

[8] The species Diceros gansuensis has been reported from the Late Miocene of China,[9] dating to around 10 million years ago.