The genus was introduced by the English naturalist William John Swainson in 1837 with the white-rumped woodpecker (Meiglyptes tristis) as the type species.[2][3] The name combines the Ancient Greek meiōn meaning "smaller" or "lesser" with gluptēs meaning "carver".[4] The genus belongs to the tribe Picini within the woodpecker subfamily Picinae. The genus is sister to the rufous woodpecker in its own monotypic genus Micropternus.[5]