These species were formerly placed in the genus Tiaris. A molecular phylogenetic study published in 2014 found that Tiaris was polyphyletic.[1] In the resulting reorganization to create monophyletic genera, these two species were assigned to a new genus Asemospiza with the sooty grassquit as the type species.[2] The name combines the Ancient Greek ἄσημος/asēmos meaning "without marks" with σπίζα/spiza meaning "finch".[2][3] These two species are in the subfamily Coerebinae and form a sister clade to the Darwin's finches.[1]