What was Pac-Man's original name before its 1980 release?

Pac-Man's original name before its 1980 release was Puck Man. Namco used that title for the game's Japanese release, where it appeared in arcades on May 22, 1980.

The name came from the Japanese phrase paku-paku taberu, describing the sound and action of eating enthusiastically. It also reflected the character's distinctive chomping animation. For the North American release, Namco and Midway changed the title to Pac-Man because arcade operators feared vandals could alter the initial letter of “Puck” to create an offensive word.

“Puckman” is often seen as a spelling variant, but “Puck Man” is the title convention used in English-language historical accounts of the original Japanese release. The game reached North American arcades in August 1980 and became one of the defining arcade hits of the decade.