This species was discovered by Olive Hilliard and Brian Burtt, in the Tugela Gorge in 1982 and named and described by them as Galtonia regalis in 1986. The genus Galtonia was created in 1880 by the French botanist Decaisne, and was named after Sir Francis Galton (1822–1911) who published a book on his travels in South Africa, but is better known for his founding work on fingerprints, eugenics and biometrics. The genus comprised four species that occur in KwaZulu-Natal and adjacent areas. A 2004 study of the hyacinth family in sub-Saharan Africa, however, transferred all species of Galtonia, and several other genera, into the large genus Ornithogalum. Which is why it is currently called Ornithogalum regale although, in old literature, it is found as Galtonia regalis.

The name of the genus Ornithogalum is derived from two Greek words ornithos, which means ‘a bird’ and gala, which means ‘milk’. Bird’s milk was used to describe something wonderful or rare in ancient Greek and Roman times. The name could be referring to the whiteness of the flowers, resembling bird’s droppings from a distance.

The species name regale, comes from the Latin word regalis which means ‘royal’, referring to the Royal Natal National Park where the type specimen was collected at Tugela Falls.