Evan TessellNikoli says it encountered the puzzle in an American magazine under the name Number Place and introduced it to Japanese readers in 1984. Its longer Japanese title was later shortened to Sudoku. This is the publisher's own account, linked below, rather than a guess based on how the name sounds.
The history offers a useful reminder for readers: a title and a rule set are different things. Two publications can label similar grids differently, while two puzzles with similar titles can use different constraints. Read the directions that belong to the particular grid.
For classic Sudoku, identify the three unit types before you begin: rows, columns, and outlined boxes. If a page adds diagonal lines, shaded regions, cages, or symbols, do not assume they are decoration. Look for an instruction explaining whether they add another condition.
Try an observation exercise with your next puzzle. Before writing a digit, describe what information is actually printed. How large is the grid? Which regions have heavy borders? Are there any marks outside the grid? Which cells are clues? You can answer these questions without knowing the puzzle's history.
A well-sourced origin story adds context, but it does not replace this close reading. The practical connection between history and solving is simple: names travel, presentation changes, and the instructions remain the authority for what counts as a correct answer. Keep the documented dates distinct from assumptions about a puzzle's ancestry.