Otodus macrotus was named by Agassiz (1838) [Eocene; Pacific North America, Atlantic North America, Belgium, Paris Basin, Ukraine, Central Asia, Kazakhstan, Chile, Seymour Island].

It was recombined as Odontaspis macrota by Gibbes (1847), Bohm (1926), Leriche (1942), White (1956), Thurmond and Jones (1981), Verma (2024); it was recombined as Lamna macrota by Woodward (1889); it was recombined as Odontaspis (Synodontaspis) macrota by Casier (1946); it was recombined as Odontaspis (Synodontaspis) macrotus by Casier (1958), Cassier (1966); it was recombined as Carcharias macrota by Long (1992), Long and Stilwell (2000); it was recombined as Striatolamia macrota by Cuny and Risnes (2005), Otero et al. (2013), Maisch et al. (2014), Pledge et al. (2015), Case et al. (2015), Ebersole et al. (2019), Cantalice et al. (2019), Popov et al. (2025).