Word Drift · History of Words
Where does the word "soccer" come from?
"Soccer" is British, not American, in origin. It began as English university slang, recorded as socca in 1889, socker in 1891 and soccer by 1895, made from "Assoc.," short for association football, to tell it apart from rugby football. Americans picked the word up by 1905. The story that it comes from players' socks is false.
Source: “soccer” in the Online Etymology Dictionary (Etymonline), read 2026-10-19.
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Questions
Is soccer an American word?
No. It began as British university slang in the 1880s and 1890s. In the US it was used by 1905 to tell the kicking game apart from American football.
Does soccer come from "socks"?
No. That explanation circulated in England and the US, but Etymonline calls it a false etymology. The word comes from "Assoc.," for association football.
What is the relationship between soccer and rugger?
Both are slang clippings: soccer from association football, rugger from rugby, made with the jocular -er ending.