The doctorfish tang was first formally described as Chaetodon chirurgus in 1787 by the German physician and naturalist Marcus Elieser Bloch with its type locality given as Martinique.

[2] Acanthurus chirurgus gets its common name for the structures called "scalpels", which are found on either side of the caudal peduncle.

Its distribution includes the Atlantic from Massachusetts to Brazil, and the tropical west coast of Africa,[2] although the African records may be misidentifications of Acanthurus monroviae.

[7] Acanthurus chirurgus spends its daylight hours grazing on algae and organic detritus.

Many body parts, such as scales and the dorsal and anal fins, do not develop until the larvae have reached 2–6 mm in length.