There are two folk theories about the origin of the name Goubuli steamed buns.

1. At that time, there was a farm family in the suburbs of Tianjin. They were blessed with a son at the age of forty, and they named him "Gouzi" for peace. When Gouzi was fourteen years old, he came to Tianjin to learn crafts and worked as a waiter in a steamed food shop. Because Gouzi was clever, diligent and studious, he developed a good job. Later, Gouzi was unwilling to live under someone else's roof, so he set up his own bun stall. He invented the technology of water stuffing and semi-risen dough. The buns he made are soft in texture, fresh and not greasy. The appearance of the buns is like a blooming white chrysanthemum. The color, aroma, taste and shape are unique, attracting people from all over the world. People came to eat steamed buns, and the business was very prosperous. Gouzi was too busy with business to talk, so people said: "Gouzi sells steamed buns and ignores people." As time goes by, people called him Goubuli.

2. A fourteen-year-old boy named Gao Guiyou came to Tianjin from his hometown in Yangcun, Wuqing County, and became a boy at the Liu Family Steamed Food Shop. This shop specializes in assorted steamed food and meat buns, and its customers are mostly boatmen, trackers, and vendors who go to and from the canal pier. Gao Guiyou specializes in making steamed buns in the store. Because of his strong personality when he was young, his parents gave him the nickname "Goubuli". With his little mind, the steamed buns he made were delicious, sold quickly, and were praised by people. When he was sixteen or seventeen years old, he used the money he saved to open a bun shop nearby. People got used to calling him by his nickname "Goubuli", and over time, they called the buns he sold "Goubuli". The buns are gone.

At that time, Yuan Shikai, the governor-general of the time, was so impressed after eating Goubuli steamed buns that he immediately went to Beijing and dedicated the steamed buns to the Empress Dowager Cixi. The Queen Mother and Lafayette tasted the steamed stuffed buns with great joy and praised: "There are animals in the mountains, geese in the clouds, cattle and sheep in the hinterland, and fresh food from the sea. They are not as fragrant as Goubuli, and they can live longer if they eat them." From then on, Goubuli steamed buns became famous.

3. Goubuli’s steamed buns are carefully selected for their dough and fillings, their production process is strict, their appearance is beautiful, and their pleats are well-proportioned. Each bun has at least 15 pleats, which is very particular. In 2011, "Goubuli Steamed Buns Traditional Handmade Technique" was included in the third batch of national intangible cultural heritage list. As a century-old brand, Goubuli steamed buns have also become one of the representative snacks of the Chinese nation.