Mid 18th century; earliest use found in Giles Jacob (bap. 1686, d. 1744), legal and literary author. Originally from puzzle + pate + -ed. In later use perhaps partly also from puzzle-pate + -ed.
Definition of puzzle-pated in US English:
puzzle-pated
adjectiveˈpʌzlpeɪtɪd
archaic
= puzzle-headed.
Origin
Mid 18th century; earliest use found in Giles Jacob (bap. 1686, d. 1744), legal and literary author. Originally from puzzle + pate + -ed. In later use perhaps partly also from puzzle-pate + -ed.