It was separated from the former genus Hansenula via an examination of their 18S and 26S rRNA partial base sequencings by Yamada et al.

It was stated in the journal; "The genus is named in honor of the late Professor Dr. Koichi Ogata, Department of Agricultural Chemistry, Faculty of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan, in recognition of his studies on the oxidation and assimilation of methanol (C1 compound) in methanol-utilizing yeasts.

"[2] The genus was circumscribed by Yuzo Yamada, Kojiro Maeda and Kozaburo Mikata in Biosc., Biotechn.

Like other yeasts, also the species within the genus Ogataea are single-celled or build pseudohyphae of only a few elongated cells; true hyphae are not formed.

[3] Ogataea minuta (Wickerham) Y. Yamada, K. Maeda & Mikata is the type species for this genus.