Púchov appears in writing for the first time in 1243, in a document of King Béla IV — the king who was busy rebuilding his kingdom after the Mongol armies had ridden through it in 1241. The charter names a man called Puch, who held the place; the town’s name is simply his, with a Slavic possessive ending. Whether Puch was a real person or the word is older is still argued about. What is certain is that there was a settlement here to be granted away, and that the road up the Váh is the reason it existed.Púchov sa v písomnostiach objavuje po prvý raz v roku 1243, v listine kráľa Bela IV. — kráľa, ktorý práve obnovoval krajinu po tom, čo ňou v roku 1241 prešli mongolské vojská. Listina spomína muža menom Puch, ktorému miesto patrilo; názov mesta je jednoducho jeho meno so slovanskou privlastňovacou príponou. Či Puch naozaj existoval, alebo je to slovo staršie, sa dodnes vedie spor. Isté je, že tu bola osada, ktorú bolo možné darovať — a že za to môže cesta po Považí.
