Lethrinus atkinsoni was first formally described in 1910 by the American ichthyologist Alvin Seale with its type locality given as Balabac Island in the Philippines.

The family Lethrinidae is classified by the 5th edition of Fishes of the World as belonging to the order Spariformes.

[6] This species is widespread throughout the west Pacific Ocean, and is known to live in the waters of Indonesia, the Philippines, New Caledonia, and Japan.

It lives in seagrass beds and over the sandy bottoms of lagoons and the outer slopes of coral reefs.

[12] Although considered desirable as food, other species in the genus are preferred due to its smaller size.

[14] The digestive tract harbours several species of digeneans, including the opecoelids Macvicaria macassarensis[14] and Neolebouria sp.