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The word “Pai” came to be used as the name for this type of dog, and it is possible that to Western ears this name may have resembled the name now used in the West, “Pug.” In 1731 the word “pug” was defined in a dictionary as a nickname for a monkey or dog. Marmosets were popular as pets at that time, and the Pug’s squashedin face probably caused it to share the same name.

Another possibility is that the name originated from the Latin word pugnus, which means fist, as some people thought that the shape of the Pug’s face resembled a clenched fist. The word “pug” or “pugge” was also a term of endearment, though it may also be a derivation of “Puck,” conjuring up Shakespearean images of an impish face.

In some Continental countries, the Pug is still known by the rather quaint name “Mops,” which comes from the Dutch word Mopshund. The verb mopperen means to grumble, and the name “Mops” may well have come into use because of the breed’s wrinkled, frowning appearance.

In France the name used was Carlin, after a famous 18th-century actor who was renowned for his role as Harlequin. It is thought that the name Carlin was, and still is, used for the Pug in France because of the breed’s black mask.