Peckemys brinkman was named by Lyson and Joyce (2009). Its type specimen is UMMP 20490, a skeleton (an almost complete skeleton), and it is a 3D body fossil. Its type locality is Near Fort Peck (Peckemys brinkman type locality), which is in a Maastrichtian terrestrial horizon in the Hell Creek Formation of Montana.

It was recombined as Cedrobaena brinkman by Joyce and Lyson (2015), Lyson et al. (2016).