- A majority (53%) of Britons call the black school canvas trainers ‘plimsolls’
- However, nearly a quarter of Britons (23%) call them ‘pumps’
- ‘Pumps’ is the norm in North West England (69%) and the West Midlands (64%), as well as parts of Yorkshire and north Wales
- Around South Wales and parts of the West Country, ‘daps’ or ‘dappers’ are the preferred term
- Nearly four in ten people in Lanarkshire (38%) and 32% of people in Central Scotland say ‘gutties’
Most of us will remember those black rubber-soled canvas trainers that you wore in primary school PE classes, and nowhere else. But what might be news to some is that what you called the shoe is not what everybody else did.
While ‘plimsolls’ might be the most common term, with 53% of Britons saying it is how they would typically refer to the shoe, YouGov data from nearly 38,000 Britons shows that this term is far from universal, with many regions having their own word for the staple of infant school PE classes.
Plimsolls, the name typically used by 53% of Britons
‘Plimsolls’ might be the most popular name for the trainers by a clear margin, but this is really only the case in half the country. The term is the overwhelming norm in the East of England (83% using it), South East England (79%), East Midlands (72%) and London (67%).
The term also tends to be used in the southern half of South West England, as well as in North East England, Cumbria and North Yorkshire. At the county-level, usage peaks in Norfolk, where 91% typically opt for the term.
Pumps, the name typically used by 23% of Britons
For nearly a quarter of Britons (23%), those black school canvas trainers are known as ‘pumps’, with this the norm in North West England (69%) and the West Midlands (64%), as well as parts of Yorkshire and north Wales.
The counties that gravitate most towards the term are Cheshire, Lancashire, Merseyside and Staffordshire, where more than seven in ten (72-75%) refer to the trainers as ‘pumps’.
While the name has some currency in most of the rest of England, it is virtually unused in the south eastern most counties of Britain, as well as in mid Scotland.
Daps, the name typically used by 5% of Britons
Around the Severn Estuary, ‘daps’ or ‘dappers’ are the preferred term for the school hall trainer. While there are several urban legends about the original of the unusual name, it most likely comes from the sound the rubber soles make on a hardwood floor.
Daps is used by around half of people in the Welsh counties of Gwent, Mid Glamorgan and South Glamorgan (47-53%), as well as around four in ten of those across the border in Bristol, Gloucestershire and Somerset (37-42%).
Sandshoes or sannies, the names typically used by 5% of Britons
The shoes themselves were originally known as ‘sandshoes’, a name that has hung on in parts of Scotland, sometimes under the nickname ‘sannies’. The term is particularly concentrated around the river Clyde, with 52% of people in Renfrewshire and 47% of Glaswegians calling them ‘sandshoes’ or ‘sannies’.
The name also sees some use in the north east of England, particularly in the East Riding of Yorkshire: 48% of people in the Hull-centred county refer to the school trainers as ‘sandshoes’, compared to no more than 6% in any of the surrounding counties.
Gym shoes, the name typically used by 6% of Britons
For some, the simpler descriptor of ‘gym shoes’ is enough, with usage most typically found in Scotland. Around 20-24% of Scots in most regions of the country use the term, with this rising to 29% on Tayside and 39% in the north eastern Grampian area.
‘Gym shoes’ also has some popularity as a name in mid Wales, with 20% of people in the county of Powys using it to refer to the primary school favourite.
Other names for school canvas trainers
‘Sandshoes’ and ‘gym shoes’ are far from the only regional specific name the Scots have for rubber-soled school trainers.
For nearly four in ten people in Lanarkshire (38%), as well as 32% of people in Central Scotland, ‘gutties’ is the go-to name for the trainer, a word that derives from a type of rubber once used to make them.
The Lothians are home to one of the most specific regional terms, with 18% of people there referring to the canvas-topped trainers as ‘rubbers’, though ‘plimsolls’ is the most common name for them in the area.
What do people call school canvas trainers in your county?
We always called gym shoes ‘rubbers’ when I was wee! – Ed.
