They are called "hush puppies" because of several popular legends and theories that revolve around the idea of quieting dogs. The most commonly told stories say that fishermen, hunters, or soldiers would toss fried cornmeal batter to their dogs to keep them quiet when they were barking or howling. The phrase "hush puppies" essentially comes from the command to "hush" the "puppies" (dogs) by feeding them these fried treats. Additional theories include that the term originated during the Civil War when Confederate soldiers, needing to avoid detection, gave fried cornmeal to their dogs to quiet them. Another story suggests that escaping slaves tossed the fried cornmeal to hunting dogs to distract them and keep silent. The term "hush puppy" was also used historically as slang meaning to silence someone or cover up misdeeds, long before the food itself was named as such. So, "hush puppies" got their name because the fried cornmeal balls were used to "hush" dogs, keeping them quiet in various historic Southern U.S. settings.
