# Jeep

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeep/4868>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 21, 1999, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeep/4868 "1999-11-21T20:46:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/earl_snake-hips_tucker/32/3269_2.png) [@Earl\_Snake-Hips\_Tucker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_Snake-Hips_Tucker)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 1999, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeep/4868/1 "1999-11-21T20:46:00Z")

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For a vehicle, presumably from “GP,” meaning general purpose.

Is that true, or folk etymology?

Which came first “Jeep” as in the vehicle or “Jeep” as in “Eugene” from the “Popeye” cartoons?

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**Author:** ![mr\_john](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@mr\_john](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr_john)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 1999, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeep/4868/2 "1999-11-21T20:58:00Z")

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Popyes Jeep came first. The GI’s made the connection of GP to Jeep. Eugene was never his name till those atrocious tv cartoons that changed Bluto to Brutus. [http://www.midwest.net/orgs/ace1/](http://www.midwest.net/orgs/ace1/)  
there was an official govt. malady known as Jeep Butt to the GI’s too. It was only indirectly related to the rough ride.

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“Pardon me while I have a strange interlude.”-Marx

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**Author:** ![Ringo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/779978/32.png) [@Ringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ringo)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 1999, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeep/4868/3 "1999-11-21T21:01:00Z")

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Nobody really knows, but here’s some info:  
[http://phaedra.apana.org.au/etymolgy.html](http://phaedra.apana.org.au/etymolgy.html)

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**Author:** ![mr\_john](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@mr\_john](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mr_john)\
**Post date:** [November 21, 1999, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jeep/4868/4 "1999-11-21T23:24:00Z")

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If anybody would know it’s beatle. how’s sargent snorkle? I thot i was gonna find out it was never called GP. Next thing you know I’ll find out that the bazooka theory is all wrong.