Taking care of a homemade sourdough starter can feel like taking care of a pet. You feed it, water it, and you make sure it stays at a comfortable temperature.
And when you spend a lot of time making sourdough, you might get a little attached to your starter. You might talk to it. Compliment it. Admire its gluten structure.
So naturally, your sourdough starter needs a name.
And not just any name will do.
To help you come up with the ultimate names for sourdough starter, I’ve rounded up a list of the most popular, creative, and clever names on the Internet.
Warning: They’re punny!
Celebrities
These celebrities saw a rise in fame. Maybe if you name your sourdough starter after them, your bread will rise in glory, too.
- Adam Levain
- Angelina Doughli
- Avril Levain
- Betty Wheat (or Bready White)
- Bill Murrye
- Bill Rye the Sour Guy
- Bread Pitt
- Bread Sheeran
- Breaddie Mercury
- Breadly Cooper
- Breadney Spears
- Breadward Norton
- Brie-oche Larsen
- Brigitte Bardough
- Bun Jovi
- Carrie Breadshaw
- Clint Yeastwood
- Cristiano Ronaldough
- Danny deVidough
- David Growie
- Dough Biden
- Dough Jackson
- Doughly Parton
- Doughnald Trump
- Doughnatella Versace
- Doughnna Summer
- Elon Crust
- Emilio Yeastevez
- Gal Gadough
- Jean-Paul DeMondough
- Jeff Buckwheat
- Kim Carbashian
- LeBran James
- Leonardough DiCaprio
- Madoughna
- Marco Pierre Wheat
- Marilyn Mondough
- Marlin Brandough
- Monica Leavenski
- Olivia Gluten John
- Rice Withaspoon
- Ringo Starrter
- Robert DoughNiro
- Rye LaMontagne
- Ryen Gosling
- Ryen Ryenolds
- Ryehanna
- Robert Doughney Junior
- Russell Bran
- Sarah Doughity
- Sharon Scone
- Snoop Dough-g
- Taylor Sift
- Toast Malone
- Will Wheat-on
- Wheatney Houston
- Wynona Ryeder
- Yeaston Blumenthal
Celebreadies. Am I right? *Cough* Moving on.
Fictional Characters
Do you fantasize about great bread? Maybe your sourdough starter needs a fantastical name to get rolling.
- Augustus Gloop
- Austin Flours
- Beauty & The Yeast
- Bilbo Baguettes
- Bread Lasso
- Breadward Cullen
- Bready Boop
- Cindoughella
- Cobra Bubbles
- Count of Monte Crisdough
- Dough-ba Fett
- Frodough Baggins
- Herculyeast
- Hermione Grainger
- Humpty Dumpling
- Jane Dough
- Levain Thumps and the Ryes of the Want
- Little Bread Rising Hood
- Landough Calriseian
- Luke Ryewalker
- Peter Pain
- Professor Dumbledough
- Rye Breadington
- Samrise the Brave
- Scooby Dooby Dough
- Sevengrain Snape
- Souron the Great
- Starty McRye
- Voldoughmort
- Walter Wheat
Not doing it for you? Maybe the next batch of names will be butter.
Historical Figures
Perhaps your starter needs a name more grounded in history. Some of these names for sourdough starter come from the upper crust of society.
- Attila the Bun
- Bread Rogers
- Bready Mercury
- Doughnato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi
- Dwight D. Eisensour
- Edgar Allan Dough
- Franklin D. Risevelt
- Frida Kahdough
- Georges Pompidough
- Friedrich Kneadtzsche
- Jacques Cousdough
- Leonardough Da Vinci
- Ludwig van Bedoughven
- Marquis de Labaguette
- Michelangelo Breadarotti
- Osama Bun Laden
- Pittagoras
- Richard the Leavenheart
- Rye Breadbury
- Salvadough Dali
- Sea Biscuit
- Sir Isaac Gluten
- St. Joan of Starch
- Thomas Breadison
- Thomas Loaferson
- Toastoyevsky
- Vincent Van Dough
- Vladmir Gluten
Of course, some of these names for sourdough starter knead a little work. Feel free to add your own if you think these names are too stale.
Miscellaneous
Want to go against the grain? These alternative sourdough starter names might get a rise out of you.
- Bread Dead Redemption
- Breadheart
- Breaking Bread
- Breadliest Catch
- Don’t Dough Me Like That
- Don’t Stop Beleaven
- Doughlene
- Do You Beleaven Life After Loaf?
- Everybody Loves Ryemond
- Fred Farter the Bread Starter
- Gone with the Wheat
- John/Jane Dough
- Monty Python’s Loaf of Brian
- Meridough
- Raging Boule
- Rick Roll
- Rye Hard
- Shenandougha
- Starch Wars: Revenge of the Sift
- Stairway to Levain
- The Yeast I Can Do
- Yeast Saint Laurent
- Weirdough
And that’s my list so far. I hope you loaf them as much as I do.
A Special Thanks
I’d like to reach out and give a special thanks to my Dad, my husband, and Martine @i_knead_you_tonight. for contributing to the list. It wouldn’t be nearly as comprehensive without their help.
Have a Few Suggestions?
These are just a few of the potential names for sourdough starter. If you have another name for your starter, feel free to comment below! I’d love to expand my list.
Sarah Doughity
Wonderful! Thank you 🙂
Jane Dough
Excellent! Thank you 🙂
Stairway to Levain
Beautiful – thank you. I will add that one 🙂
Cin-dough-ella is mine
Love it!
Mine is Marilyn Mondough!
Beautiful! Thank you.
Tim McDough
Thank you 🙂
Don’t Dough Me Like That
Great!
Shannon-dough-a
Clever!
Frida Kahldough
Classy! I love it.
Mine is Snoop Dough-gg ????
Hahaha that’s fantastic. I love it!
Doughlene
Hahaha perfection
Bready mercury
Beautiful!
Meridough
Thank you for adding so many to the list!
I named mine Bready Boop! It’s my first starter I just revived her from the fridge should make bread in a few days
So cute! I love it.
My favorite beer is Stella Artois. I’m going to call my starter Stellair
Mine is called Sir Rise-a-lot V2.0…I killed the first one. Mine has a special addition, 1/4 tsp of reposado tequila. Bubbles and rises spectacularly! He’s already sired 2 foster starters.
Fun!