Green’s Dictionary of Slang

(orig. US) a mild oath, euph. for Jesus! excl.

1916		Colliers 58 16: Jeepers! I said to myself.
1929		W.D. Edmonds Rome Haul 28: Jeepers! Its the stairways to the Erie!
1934		G. & S. Lorimer Stag Line 71: ‘Jeepers Peltz!’ I marvelled.
1935		Pittsburgh Sun-Teleg. (PA) 14 July 58/3: ‘Jeeps! [...] what kind of dope am I, anyhow?’.
1940		N.Y. Herald Trib. 17 July 38/2: [advert] [...] Yes-man; Jeepers!; Phony; Too too divine; blah!; Hi Toots!; nuts.
1949		R. Park Poor Man’s Orange 223: Jeepers, lookut all the books!
1954		Oh Boy! No. 19 11: Jeepers! This is a tougher proposition than I thought.
1962		T. Hopkinson In the Fiery Continent 58: Jeefies, man! You ought to have been there.
1965		W. Dick Bunch of Ratbags 72: ‘Jeepers!’ said Laurie.
1977		G. Swarthout Melodeon 34: I went weak. ‘Oh jeepers no,’ I blurted.
1986		Beano Comic Library No. 96 56: Jeepers!
1993		(con. 1930s) M. Verdon Shawlies, Echo Boys, the Marsh and the Lanes 153: One of the young fellows would shout up to the mother, and she would say ‘Oh, jeepers!’.
1999		D. Healy Sudden Times 93: The whole planeload saw it. It was unreal. Jeepers.
2001		P. McCabe Emerald Germs of Ireland 367: Jeekers, Pat.