Well, the answer is about as clear as mud. Researchers are fairly confident they originated in the south and we know the word itself goes way back to England where the term refers to silencing someone or covering something up. So it's thought that perhaps these were given the name hushpuppies because they were quick to quiet rumbling tummies. Like many great southern recipes, we almost always have enslaved Africans and/or Native Americans to thank. We do know for certain that Native Americans brought us corn and cornmeal. I enjoy digging into food history and I saw a meme going around on social media that said escaping slaves would throw down fried cornmeal balls to keep dogs off their tracks and therefore would “hush the puppies”. The meme says to check with the Smithsonian African American museum for more information. However, I could find nothing about this story on their website so I emailed in the off chance someone might help and a researcher replied! The researcher unfortunately confirmed it is more than likely a myth that makes for a good story but they’ve never been able to confirm it through any oral or written history. The African American Museum is not responsible for that meme and are not a valid reference. Sadly, these tales make for fascinating stories that make for viral memes but often hide the true story and credit from the people who deserve it…like a former slave. Many southern fishermen spoke (and wrote) of a formerly enslaved man named Romeo Govan who would make fried cornmeal balls (originally called "red horse bread") and cooked them with his fried fish (the name of the fish species was called Red Horse) in his popular fish house in South Carolina. For a deep dive into the story of hush puppies, please check out this in-depth article from Serious Eats where they debunk some myths about this famed southern bread and dig deeper into the history.