The specific name vazquezii refers to Mario Vázques Torres, first collector of the plant.

[2] Zamia fischeri was described by Friedrich Anton Wilhelm Miquel in 1844 based on a plant found in San Luis Potosi state in Mexico.

There were only a few collections of Z. fischeri prior to the 1930s, all of which were from San Luis Potosi and consistent with Miquel's description.

Starting in the 1930s, Zamia plants from Veracruz state in Mexico entered the horticultural market under the name Z. fischeri, although they clearly differed from the species described by Miquel.

Stevenson, Sabato, and De Luca therefore described the Zamia plants of Veracruz as a new species, Z.