Schleicher
A German surname most likely built from a word for a winding path, narrow lane, or sly, winding movement.
The #9,669 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 91,998 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Schleicher is a German surname formed from the verb "schleichen," meaning to sneak, creep, or move quietly and indirectly. As a surname, it was probably first used as a nickname for someone who moved stealthily, behaved slyly, or lived near a winding path or narrow passage associated with the same root. The ending -er commonly marks a person connected with a place, action, or characteristic.
History
The name is well established in German-speaking areas and appears in 19th-century records and scholarship with the typical German spelling Schleicher. It also spread beyond Germany through migration, which is why it turns up in American census records. The surname should not be confused with the linguist August Schleicher, whose prominence helped make the name familiar to scholars.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same German root behind Schleicher also appears in words like "sneak"-related dialect forms and in surnames built from stealthy or indirect movement.
From the historical record
“Wincote : St. Geo. Han. Sq. i. io«. 1788. — George Schleicher and Hannah Dibble : ibid. ii. 2. 1792. John Dible and Sarah Cross: ibia. p. 77.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)