[2][3] Pujehun was named after the powerful Mende warrior Nyagua,[citation needed] who was residing at the nearby village of Panguma.

When Nyagua and his men went to battle, they used the site of the present village as their resting place.

At that time There was a lot of pepper growing in the town, which the Mende call "pujei."

Pujehun was initially known as Gombu and later change to present day name possibly because of the pepper (pujei) growing history.

[citation needed] The majority of the population in Pujehun are from the Mende ethnic group.