C19: from a type of blanket originally sold by the Hudson's Bay Company
Hudson's Bay blanket in American English
noun
trademark
a heavyweight, boldly striped blanket made of wool
Word origin
[1895–1900]This word is first recorded in the period 1895–1900. Other words that entered Englishat around the same time include: cutback, frame of reference, freewheel, hit-and-run, slapstick