Thaumathichthyidae was first proposed as a monotypic family in 1912 by the American ichthyologists Hugh McCormick Smith and Lewis Radcliffe,[1] with Thaumatichthys as its only genus.

[2] The 5th edition of Fishes of the World classifies this family in the suborder Ceratioidei of the anglerfish order Lophiiformes.

This name is a combination of "thauma", meaning "wonder" or "marvel", and ichthys, the Greek word for "fish".

[5] Thaumatichthydae has the following two genera classified within it:[6] Thaumatichthyidae anglerfishes resemble their close relatives the dreamers of the family Oneirodidae.

[7] Thaumatichthyidae anglerfishes are found at depths down to 4,000 m (13,000 ft) in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.