Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon
The type species was named "Lemur tardigradus" by Linnaeus in 1758. The name "Loris" is first reported Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon in 1765, representing the Dutch "loeris" meaning "clown". According to Buffon, the name "loeris" had been in use for some time by Dutch naturalists for the "sloths of ceylon".