Ask for It by Name!

It would be hard to think of a vehicle more quintessentially American — tough, perhaps a little rough, but ready for anything — than the Jeep, now manufactured by Daimler Chrysler.

The history of the Jeep brand is well-known, from its origins on the battlefields of World War II, where Jeeps served as all-purpose four-wheel drive transport vehicles, to the refined suburban SUVs of today, but the name “Jeep” itself has long been a subject of etymological contention.

Some theories trace “Jeep” to the vehicle’s supposed military designation “G.P.,” standing for “General Purpose.” Unfortunately, the US military never designated any vehicle “G.P.” Interestingly, however, a larger truck which preceded the Jeep in light transport duty was known among soldiers as the “Peep.”

The true origin of “Jeep” seems to lie in another bit of classic Americana — the “Popeye” comic strip. In March 1936, Popeye creator Elzie C. Segar introduced a strange new character in the strip, more of an animal, actually, about the size of a dog but walking upright and equipped with all sorts of mysterious powers, including telepathy and invisibility. The critter was called Eugene the Jeep, probably because the only sound it could make was a cry of “Jeep! Jeep!”

But Eugene the Jeep could do just about anything he wanted to in the Popeye strip, so it made sense when soldiers encountered the new all-purpose do-anything vehicle in the Army, the successor to the “Peep,” that they would dub it “the Jeep.”