The word “jeans” derives from Genoa, the Italian port city. English speakers adapted the French name for Genoa, “Gênes,” into “jean,” referring to a sturdy cotton cloth associated with the city and its maritime trade.
Genoese merchants and sailors exported rough blue cloth across Europe. The material was useful for work clothing and for covering goods on docks because it was hard-wearing. Over time, “blue jean” became associated with trousers made from durable dyed fabric, eventually giving us the plural word “jeans.”
A common mix-up is confusing jeans with denim. “Denim” comes from the French phrase “serge de Nîmes,” meaning “serge from Nîmes,” a French city. The two names therefore preserve different European place associations: jeans point to Genoa, while denim points to Nîmes.
The modern blue-jeans industry was later transformed in the United States, especially when riveted work trousers became popular during the 19th-century Gold Rush era. That later history explains the garment’s fame, but not the origin of its name.