Final answer:
The current species of humans is named Homo sapiens, which is the sole surviving species of the genus Homo, with earlier species like Homo erectus and Homo neanderthalensis being important to our evolutionary history.
Step-by-step explanation:
The name of the current species of humans is Homo sapiens. This species is the only living species in the genus Homo and has been the sole occupant since other Homo species, such as Homo erectus, Homo habilis, and Homo neanderthalensis, have gone extinct. These earlier Homo species are important to human evolution, with Homo erectus having migrated out of Africa and being ancestral to later species like Homo heidelbergensis, which then evolved into Homo neanderthalensis and early Homo sapiens.
Homo habilis is often considered the first known species in our genus and is also believed to be ancestral to Homo erectus. Meanwhile, Homo neanderthalensis, also known as the Neanderthals, overlapped with modern humans but are not our direct ancestors. They are considered 'cousins' in the evolutionary tree, with both species having evolved from common ancestors such as Homo heidelbergensis.