why are they called Sneakers
 

The term "sneaker" is often attributed to Henry Nelson McKinney, an advertising executive for N.W. Ayer & Son, who used the term in 1917 in a Keds advertisement. McKinney's idea for the name came from the quiet rubber soles of the shoes, which allowed the wearer to "sneak up" on others, unlike standard dress shoes with hard leather soles. However, the term was actually in use as early as 1887, when the Boston Journal of Education used the term to describe how children could sneak up on teachers wearing shoes with soft soles.

You learn something new every day!

I always called them that, cause I lik2 take a sneaky poo in them, before i put them on :2 cents:

I thought Brits called them "trainers".

Also the name of a 90s hacker flick with a decent cast.. well worth seeing

For burglars indeed . . . although bad sneakers do make tell-tale sounds.