How Did Jeep Get Its Name?

Jeep is a name that’s instantly recognizable all around the globe. Despite this, the origin of the Jeep name remains a mystery. Since Jeep has never released an official explanation of the name, this leaves it open to speculation.

Jeep Name Origin Theories

Over the years, there have been several theories on how Jeep got its name. Comic strip character Eugene the Jeep is a popular theory. There’s also the idea that it came from the Ford GPs, which were some of the first light-duty vehicles used in the military.

Military Slang

Even before the premiere of the Willys MB in 1941, soldiers were using the term “jeep.” As early as World War I, untested vehicles and newly enlisted soldiers were nicknamed jeeps. The name stuck, eventually being used to describe light military recon vehicles from that point forward.

Irving "Red" Hausmann, one of the engineers working for Willys-Overland (the original owner of Jeep), reported that he picked up the name from soldiers while testing the vehicle. Additionally, one of the first recorded instances of the name Jeep (in reference to the vehicle) appeared in The Washington Daily News in June 1941. This was after Hausmann crawled up the Capitol steps in a prototype vehicle. The headline read: "Jeep Creeps Up Capitol Steps."

Eugene The Jeep

One of the most common explanations for the name Jeep has to do with America's favorite spinach-swilling sailor: Popeye. In E.C. Segar's Thimble Theatre comics featuring Popeye and Olive Oyl, there is a magical pet named Eugene the Jeep. Eugene is a dog and cat hybrid with a large bulbous nose. He’s known for his ability to “go anywhere and do anything,” which is coincidentally Jeep’s motto.

Not only was his species a Jeep, but it was also the only word that would come out of his mouth. Many of the soldiers who were fighting in WWII would most likely have been fans of Popeye and his magical pet. Considering the rough war-time terrain that jeeps needed to conquer, it’s possible its name comes from the character who was able to go anywhere.

General Purpose (GP)

Another viable theory is that the name is derived from the Ford GP, meaning general purpose. These were Ford’s early military jeep models and phonetically sound close to the word “jeep.” Some claim that GP did not actually stand for “general purpose.” The other interpretation is that the G stood for government while the P was a designation that indicated it was a recon car with an 80-inch wheelbase.

Funny enough, this is similar to how the Humvee got its name. Humvees replaced the military jeeps back in the 1980s. Its designation was HMMWV, which stands for high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicle. Just as GP could have inspired “Jeep,” the acronym HMMWV inspired the colloquial Humvee name.

Jeep: Just Enough Essential Parts

This theory has been floating around the Jeep community for a while now, despite the fact that it is likely false. It states that the Jeep acronym stands for “Just Enough Essential Parts.” True or not, this acronym reflects the bare-bones reliability of Jeeps.

It’s unlikely that this is the actual explanation for the name Jeep, but it is interesting nonetheless. To be fair, there are only just enough essential parts on base trim Wranglers, and that’s part of their appeal.

So, What Does Jeep Stand For?

Most of the likely theories revolve around Jeep’s military history. The Jeep came to prominence during WWII, where soldiers commonly referred to “general purpose” vehicles as “jeeps.” Cartoon character Eugene the Jeep was also very popular with soldiers during the war. It’s more likely that all three of these theories are in part responsible for the Jeep name, as opposed to just one or the other. Unless Jeep reveals the true source of the name, we’ll never know for sure.

Source: Why It's a "Jeep" and Not a "Leaping Lena", Autoweek | How the Jeep Got Its Name Instead of Peep,Beep, or Seep, Allpar | Trail Head: How the Jeep Got It's Name, MotorTrend | Introducing the "Jeep"-How Did America's Famous Military 4x4 Get Its Name?, Military History Now