A cap is a flat

headgear Headgear, headwear, or headdress is the name given to any element of clothing which is worn on one's head, including hats, helmets, turbans and many other types. Headgear is worn for many purposes, including protection against the elements, ...

, usually with a visor. Caps have crowns that fit very close to the head. They made their first appearance as early as 3200 BC. Caps typically have a visor, or no brim at all. They are popular in casual and informal settings, and are seen in sports and fashion. They are typically designed for warmth, and often incorporate a visor to block sunlight from the eyes. They come in many shapes, sizes, and are of different brands.

Baseball cap A baseball cap is a type of soft hat with a rounded crown and a stiff bill projecting in front. The front of the hat typically displays a design or a logo (historically, usually only a sports team, namely a baseball team, or names of relevant c ...

s are one of the most common types of cap.

Types

The only known example of an original 'Monmouth Cap',dating from the 16th century

* Ascot cap * Ayam * Baggy green * Balmoral * Beanie (North America) * Bearskin *

Beret A beret ( or ; ; eu, txapela, ) is a soft, round, flat-crowned cap, usually of woven, hand-knitted wool, crocheted cotton, wool felt, or acrylic fibre. Mass production of berets began in 19th century France and Spain, and the beret rema ...

Biretta The biretta ( la, biretum, birretum) is a square cap with three or four peaks or horns, sometimes surmounted by a tuft. Traditionally the three-peaked biretta is worn by Catholic clergy and some Anglican and Lutheran clergy. A four-peaked bir ...

* Busby *

Canterbury cap The Canterbury cap is a square cloth hat with sharp corners. It originated in the Middle Ages, and is commonly found in the Anglican Communion, as well as in the Catholic Church where it is used by Ordinariate clergy. It is also soft and foldable ...

* Cap and bells * Cap of maintenance * Casquette * Caubeen *

Caul A caul or cowl ( la, Caput galeatum, literally, "helmeted head") is a piece of membrane that can cover a newborn's head and face. Birth with a caul is rare, occurring in fewer than 1 in 80,000 births. The caul is harmless and is immediately remov ...

* Coif *

Combination cap The peaked cap, peaked hat, service cap, barracks cover or combination cap is a form of headgear worn by the armed forces of many nations, as well as many uniformed civilian organisations such as law enforcement agencies and fire departments. It ...

(also known as a service cap) * Coppola *

Cricket cap A cricket cap is a type of soft cap, often made from felt, that is a traditional form of headwear for players of the game of cricket, regardless of age or gender. It is usually a tight-fitting skullcap, usually made of six or eight sections, ...

Deerstalker A deerstalker is a type of cap that is typically worn in rural areas, often for hunting, especially deer stalking. Because of the cap's popular association with the fictional detective Sherlock Holmes, it has become stereotypical headgear f ...

Do-rag A durag ( alternate spellings) is a close-fitting cloth tied around the top of the head to protect the hair; similarly a wave cap is a close-fitting cap for the same purpose. Durags may be worn to accelerate the development of long curly/kink ...

Dutch cap A Dutch cap or Dutch bonnet is a style of woman's hat associated with the various traditional Dutch woman's costumes. Usually made of white cotton or lace, it is sometimes characterized by triangular flaps or wings that turn up on either side. ...

Dixie cup A paper cup is a disposable cup made out of paper and often lined or coated with plastic or wax to prevent liquid from leaking out or soaking through the paper. It may be made of recycled paper and is widely used around the world. History Paper ...

, an enlisted sailor's cap, also worn by first-year midshipmen at Annapolis * Fez *

Flat cap A flat cap is a rounded cap with a small stiff brim in front, originating in Britain and Ireland. The hat is known in Ireland as a paddy cap; in Scotland as a bunnet; in Wales as a Dai cap; and in the United States as an English cap, Irish ca ...

(also known as a Kerry cap in Ireland (slang of Paddy cap – see also Caubeen), longshoreman's cap, scally cap, Wigens cap, ivy cap, golf cap, duffer cap, driving cap, bicycle cap, Jeff cap, or in Scotland, bunnet, or in Wales, Dai cap, or in England or New Zealand, cheese-cutter) * Forage cap * Gandhi cap * Garrison cap * Glengarry *

Greek fisherman's cap A mariner's cap, variations of which are known as skipper cap, Greek fisherman's cap, fiddler cap or Breton cap, Lenin cap and Mao cap, is a soft, flat-topped cap with a small visor, usually made from black or navy blue wool felt, but also occas ...

(also known as a Breton cap or a fiddler's cap) * Juliet cap * Karakul *

Kepi The kepi ( ) is a cap with a flat circular top and a peak, or visor. In English, the term is a loanword of french: képi, itself a re-spelled version of the gsw, Käppi, a diminutive form of , meaning "cap". In Europe, this headgear is most ...

Kippah A , , or , plural ), also called ''yarmulke'' (, ; yi, יאַרמלקע, link=no, , german: Jarmulke, pl, Jarmułka or ''koppel'' ( yi, קאפל ) is a brimless cap, usually made of cloth, traditionally worn by Jewish males to fulfill the ...

(also known as yarmulke or skull cap) — worn by Jewish males *

Knit cap A knit cap is a piece of knitted headwear designed to provide warmth in cold weather. It usually has a simple tapered shape, although more elaborate variants exist. Historically made of wool, it is now often made of synthetic fibers. Found ...

(also known as a Tuque, stocking cap, wool cap, watch cap, ski cap, bobble hat) * Kufi (also known as a kofia; an African cap worn with a dashiki) *

Lika cap The Lika cap ( sh, Lička kapa), also known as ''kićanka'' ("tassel") or ''crvenkapa'' (lit. "red cap"), is an important cultural symbol of the Lika region in Croatia, part of the Lika national costume traditionally worn by local Croats and Serb ...

* M43 field cap * Mao cap *

Meyrick Helmet The Meyrick Helmet is an Iron Age bronze peaked helmet, with La Tène style decoration, that is held at the British Museum in London. It is one of only four Iron Age helmets to have been discovered in Britain, the other three being the more famo ...

* Monmouth cap * Newsboy cap * Nightcap * Nurse cap *

Ochipok The ochipok ( uk, очіпок, also намітка, ''namitka''; перемітка, ''peremitka''; серпанок, ''serpanok''; рантух, ''rantukh''; склендячка, ''sklendyachka''; хустка, ''khustka'') is a married woman' ...

Papakhi Papakha (; , ; ; ce, холхазан-куй, holhazan-kuy; , ; ) is a wool hat worn by men throughout the Caucasus and also in uniformed regiments in the region and beyond. The word ''papakha'' is of Turkic origin (''papakh)''. Styles The ...

Patrol cap A patrol hat, also known as a field cap, is a soft kepi constructed similarly to a baseball cap, with a stiff, rounded visor but featuring a flat top, worn by military personnel of some countries in the field when a combat helmet is not required ...

Peaked cap The peaked cap, peaked hat, service cap, barracks cover or combination cap is a form of headgear worn by the armed forces of many nations, as well as many uniformed civilian organisations such as law enforcement agencies and fire departments. I ...

* Phrygian cap * Rastacap * Sailor cap *

Shako A shako (, , or ) is a tall, cylindrical military cap, usually with a visor, and sometimes tapered at the top. It is usually adorned with an ornamental plate or badge on the front, metallic or otherwise; and often has a feather, plume (see hackle) ...

Shower cap A shower cap (also known as a bath cap) is a hat worn while showering or bathing to protect hair from becoming wet. Alternatively, shower caps for children can be crowns with wide brims that prevent water and shampoo Shampoo () is a hair care ...

* Sindhi cap *

Sports visor A sports visor, also called a sun visor or visor cap, is a type of crownless hat consisting simply of a visor or brim with a strap or buckle encircling the head. The top of the head is not covered and the visor protects only the face, including ...

Square academic cap The square academic cap, graduate cap, cap, mortarboard (because of its similarity in appearance to the mortarboard used by brickmasons to hold mortar) or Oxford cap is an item of academic dress consisting of a horizontal square board fixed upo ...

Stormy Kromer cap The Stormy Kromer cap is a wool hat manufactured by Stormy Kromer Mercantile. The hat is popular in the Midwest region of the United States and with hunters and outdoorsmen. It is named for George "Stormy" Kromer (1876-1970), a semi-professional ba ...

Swim cap A swimming cap, swim cap or bathing cap, is a tightly fitted, skin-tight garment, commonly made from silicone, latex or lycra, worn on the head by recreational and competitive swimmers. Swim caps are worn for various reasons: they can be worn to ...

* Tam o' Shanter * Taqiyah, worn by Muslim males *

Toque A toque ( or ) is a type of hat with a narrow brim or no brim at all. Toques were popular from the 13th to the 16th century in Europe, especially France. The mode was revived in the 1930s. Now it is primarily known as the traditional headgear ...

Tubeteika A tubeteika ( rus, тюбете́йка, links=1, tyubeteika, tʲʉbʲɪˈtʲeɪ̯kə, LL-Q8798 (ukr)-Tohaomg-тюбетейка.wav) is a Russian word for many varieties of traditional Central Asian caps. Tubeteikas are today worn in Tajikistan, ...

Ushanka An ushanka ( rus, уша́нка, p=ʊˈʂankə, from , "ears"), also called an ''ushanka- hat'' ( rus, ша́пка-уша́нка, p=ˈʂapkə ʊˈʂankə), is a Russian fur cap with ear-covering flaps that can be tied up to the crown of the ...

Utility cover The utility cover, also known as the utility cap and eight-pointed cover, is the United States Marine Corps cap, worn with their combat utility uniform. It is an eight-pointed hat, with a visor similar to a baseball cap. It is worn "blocked", ...

Zucchetto The zucchetto (, also ,"zucchetto"
(US) and ,

Baseball caps

Fitted cap A baseball cap is a type of soft hat with a rounded crown and a stiff bill projecting in front. The front of the hat typically displays a design or a logo (historically, usually only a sports team, namely a baseball team, or names of relevant c ...

* Snapback *

Trucker hat A trucker hat, mesh cap or netback cap is a type of baseball cap. It is also sometimes known as a "gimme s in 'give me'cap" or a "feed cap" because this style of hat originated during the 1970s as a promotional give-away from U.S. feed or farmi ...

Present day depictions of caps

Caps might have started off as a way to keep people shaded from the sun, but now they are much more than that. Caps have made a staple in the both the sports and fashion industries, one leading into the other.

Sports

Like previously stated caps are typically designed with a visor which makes it perfect for keeping a person cool from the heat and sheltering a person's eyes from the sun, so it was a matter of time before they made it to the sports industry. The first sport to adopt wearing caps was baseball, the hats was made out of straw and were worn on April 24, 1849, by the New York Knickerbockers. However, within a few years time the team began to wear a cap made of fine merino wool, that featured a crown and an attached visor. This design became the prototype for caps of that time and still the most popular in present day. It's also not the only design for baseball hats but other sports as well, such as cricket, golf and tennis.

Fashion

Sportswear found its way to fashion in the nineteenth century and on the contrary to what many believe it began to actually cater to the wants and needs of women. Sports cap however made an impact on the fashion industry around the 1980s when the company New Era, who had been designing hats for sports teams, began designing and selling hats to the general public. Baseball caps, fitted caps, snapback caps and truckers hats would then be seen in music videos, films, runways and even on Princess Diana's head, which helped nurture her appearance as the "people's princess." Along with hats, sports jerseys also became available in the 1980s as well, and now licensed apparel is a multi-billion dollar industry.

References