My blog-friend, Newport Betty, raised a question which I have asked a number of times myself. She was commenting on her daughter’s sneakers and posed the question:
“Where does the name sneakers come from, anyway?”
I had a vague idea what the answer might look like, but it was worth spending some time researching the issue, since I was curious myself. I found the History of Sneakers on a page published by factmonster.com. There are other sources available when you go to Google and type in the words: sneakers, history of. But this source sounded pretty authentic, so I went with it.
It turns out that there is an 18th century beginning to the product. Originally it was a pretty crude thing, (called plimsols) just pieces of rubber cut to fit the bottoms of the feet (no left/right distinctions.) But it wasn’t until 1892 that U.S. Rubber produced a shoe which had rubber soles and was attached to canvas or cloth uppers. From there it took off, never expecting that it would become something worn to weddings, funerals, Academy Awards events, and presidential gatherings at the White House.
Now … to get to the meat of the story. The meaning of the word.
“Sneaker” is the name of the shoe, and it is meant to point out that when wearing sneakers you can be almost silent. Therefore, you can sneak up on someone without them hearing you.
Surprised? Neither was I.
When I was a kid sneakers were primarily an athletic shoe. They weren’t particularly handsome, and they didn’t have a swish on the side of them. They had a circle with the name Converse on them. There were U.S. Keds and other brands also. But they weren’t in high demand, and the only adults I ever saw wear them were athletes and coaches. I think I remember that they were not supposed to be worn in school all day, but I may be mistaken about that.
By the time my own kids came along, sneakers had become something different. Our son wore them constantly, whether playing basketball or just going to class. Our daughters wore them in varying styles and colors, including the decorative high-tops our older daughter wore into her adulthood. I don’t think they had anything to do with sneaking up on someone though; it was just the style of the times.
Now we find expensive, highly-sought-after sneakers with fancy names and obscene price tags. The stars in Hollywood wear them with formal attire. They even show up on the walkways of designer clothes.
Probably my favorite sneakers, however, was the cocktail lounge near our home in Oklahoma where a graphic artist had caught the image of sneakers on the windows, the walls, the napkins, and even the glasses in which various beverages were found. The name of the place? Obviously … Sneakers.
Photo Credit: factmonster.com
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The brand Keds made one of the first rubber-soled sneakers. They called them sneakers because the rubber sole made the shoe stealthy or quiet, all other shoes, with the exception of moccasins, made noise when you walked.
The term isn’t used here in the UK – we call them “trainers” instead. When I was young we wore “plimsolls” or “tennis shoes” for gym, which evolved (mainly through getting ten times as expensive so far as I can see) into trainers.
As I recall, sneakers were reserved for the gymnasium, where we couldn’t wear “street shoes” lest debris on the soles damaged the gym floor, which was supposed to be kept pristine for the basketball season. (That’s why we had sock hops, too–no shoes at all so we wouldn’t damage the gym floor.)
By the time my children came along, most rubber-soled shoes were called “tennis shoes” or “basketball shoes” or “track shoes,” and now I hear so many specific sports-related names that I hardly hear “sneakers” anymore.
For me, sneakers are still the low-cut, lightweight versions that were approved for use on the gym floor. They were always white back then, but now they may be astrobright or striped or plaid or….and they sort of feel like old friends.
Thanks for answering my question, Jed! I, too, suspected that the term had something to do with the ability to “sneak” — but, in truth, that depends on the walking surface (doesn’t it??). Sneakers are often squeakers …