First described by dermatologist Moritz Kaposi (1837 1902) at the University of Vienna in 1872. Dr Kaposi's last name was originally Kohn, but to distinguish himself from other physicians of the same name, he chose a new name in honor of the Kapos River, near his birthplace, Kaposvr, Hungary.

The literal meaning of the term "Honduras" is "depths" in Spanish. The name could either refer to the bay of Trujillo as an anchorage, fondura in the Leonese dialect of Spain, or to Columbus's alleged quote that "Gracias a Dios que hemos salido de esas honduras" ("Thank God we have departed from those depths").