The great crested grebe was formally described by the Swedish naturalist Carl Linnaeus in 1758 in the tenth edition of his Systema Naturae under the binomial name Colymbus cristatus.

[2] It is now the type species of the genus Podiceps that was erected by the English naturalist John Latham in 1787.

[5]: 151  The scientific name comes from Latin: the genus name Podiceps is from podicis, "vent" and pes, "foot", and is a reference to the placement of a grebe's legs towards the rear of its body; the specific name, cristatus, means "crested".

The great crested grebe breeds in vegetated areas of freshwater lakes.

[9]: 82 This species was hunted almost to extinction in the United Kingdom in the 19th century for its head plumes, which were used to decorate ladies' hats and garments.

[17][18] In November 2023, the comedian John Oliver highlighted New Zealand's Bird of the Year campaign in a Last Week Tonight episode and declared himself the "campaign manager" for the bird, which is also known in New Zealand by its Māori name pūteketeke.

[19][20] The bird was announced as the winner of the competition with the alliteration "Pūteketeke pandemonium prevails".