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The peaked cap originated in early 19th century Northern Europe, usually worn by working class men. Around the same time in the later years[when?] of the Napoleonic Wars, it began to appear in the senior ranks of the Russian and Prussian armies, being popular because of its comfort and light weight, as opposed to the cumbersome bicorns and shakos that were standard duty issue. During the Biedermeier period (1815-1848), they became[why?] universal dress for German and Austrian civilian males of all classes, and for the entire 19th century, they were popular with the working classes all over Northern Europe, although in Britain the flat-top cap was preferred towards the end of the century.[citation needed]

In 1846, the United States Army adopted the peaked cap during the Mexican-American war due to the unsuitability of the shako in the hot Mexican climate. In 1856, a form of peaked cap was adopted by petty officers of the Royal Navy, in imitation of an undress headdress worn by officers from as early as 1827. The British Army adopted peaked caps in 1902 for both the new khaki field dress and (in coloured form) as part of the "walking out" or off duty wear for other ranks. A dark blue version was worn with dress blues by all ranks of the U.S. Army between 1902 and 1917.[citation needed]

During the 20th century, the combination or peaked cap became a common headdress in the armies, navies, air forces, and law enforcement agencies of the world, especially for officers. As a relatively practical and smart item, it also became popular for police forces, largely supplanting helmets and kepis.[citation needed]

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