7 Answers

The origin of the name Jeep is unknown. Just a lot of conjecture. http://www.olive-drab.com/od_mvg_www_jeeps_origin_term.php

 

12 years ago. Rating: 6
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G.P. General Purpose. Jeep (or Geep) for short. (True story!)

As they say "It's a Jeep thing.You wouldn't understand."

12 years ago. Rating: 6
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Tommy is not only a Aussie he is a smart Aussie.

The US army required a small manouverable vehicle that could climb a brick wall , no I tossed that in for affect,during WW2.

Two Automotive companies made the same vehicle Willys and Ford. The designation of the vehicle was General Purpose Vehicle and in Army parpance became G.P. bastardised to Jeep.

The original Jeeps were meant to have a life span measured in months but both Ford and Willys did too good a job and the little buggers went forever.
Rough as guts to ride in, we used to sit with our boot up on the entry opening if we were a passenger or else you got tossed out.

I had the dubious honour of getting one bogged on Balmain Beach in Sydney, drove onto the sand without letting air out of the tyres and "Hey Presto" Walked back to Middle Head Barracks and got the services of a Studebaker 5 tonner with a winch.

12 years ago. Rating: 5
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Because you would sound funny calling it a cow.

12 years ago. Rating: 4
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if it looks like a jeep,its a jeep,

12 years ago. Rating: 4
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As I remember something like this.

 

it was named after a cartoon character by American GI's in ww2.  The jeep could go anywhere. That's what I remember.. 

 

EDITED:

Another explanation of the name has it that it was based on a character from the  Popeye comic strip in the 1930's that was known as Eugene the Jeep.    This little guy was from another dimension and was blessed with the ability to  go anywhere and do anything.  He went through walls, scaled huge trees, flew,  disappeared, etc.  There wasn't anywhere Eugene the Jeep couldn't go.  The  theory goes that US soldiers were so impressed by the Willys go-anywhere  performance that they began calling it Jeep after the character.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/96879

12 years ago. Rating: 4
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Colleen gave a web site for possible derivation of the word but I can`t put much faith in the site, not Colleen the site, because the writer talks early in the article about the Jeep being designed in 1940-- 1941 JUST BEFORE THE BEGINNING OF WORLD WAR 2.

Hate to tell him/her the second world war started in 1939, so if one fact is so blatantly wrong so could the rest.

12 years ago. Rating: 4
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