
Taking care of a sourdough starter can feel like taking care of a pet. You feed it. You water it. 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 name for your 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
- Bill Murrye
- Bread Pitt
- Bread Sheeran
- Breadly Cooper
- Breadney Spears
- Breadward Norton
- Brie-oche Larsen
- Brigitte Bardough
- Bun Jovi
- Carrie Breadshaw
- Clint Yeastwood
- Cristiano Ronaldough
- Danny deVidough
- 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
- Marlin Brandough
- Monica Leavenski
- Olivia Gluten John
- Rice Withaspoon
- Robert DoughNiro
- Rye LaMontagne
- Ryen Gosling
- Ryen Ryenolds
- Ryehanna
- Robert Doughney Junior
- Russell Bran
- Sharon Scone
- 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
- Breadward Cullen
- Cobra Bubbles
- Count of Monte Crisdough
- Dough-ba Fett
- Herculyeast
- Hermione Grainger
- Humpty Dumpling
- Jane Dough
- Levain Thumps and the Ryes of the Want
- Little Bread Rising Hood
- Luke Ryewalker
- Peter Pain
- Rye Breadington
- Sevengrain Snape
- Souron the Great
- 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 come from the upper crust of society.
- Attila the Bun
- Bread Rogers
- Doughnato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi
- Dwight D. Eisensour
- Edgar Allan Dough
- Franklin D. Risevelt
- 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 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 Stop Beleaven
- Do you beleaven life after loaf?
- Everybody Loves Ryemond
- Fred Farter the Bread Starter
- Gone with the Wheat
- Monty Python’s Loaf of Brian
- Raging Boule
- Rick Roll
- Rye Hard
- Starch Wars: Revenge of the Sift
- 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 your sourdough starter. If you have another name for your starter, feel free to comment below! I’d love to expand my list.