Home » Recipe Index » Mastering Sourdough » Sourdough Starter Tips and FAQ

160+ Best Sourdough Starter Name Ideas

ByThe Pantry Mama Published: Modified:

This post may contain affiliate links.

Have you named your sourdough starter?

I've put together the biggest list of names for your sourdough starter on the internet!

There are over 160 names on the list and it's growing! Seriously, there is so much choice.

I'd love to know what you've called your sourdough starter?

Make sure you leave a comment to let us know what you've decided on!

BEST NAME FOR SOURDOUGH STARTER

Sourdough Starter Names

If you're reading this, chances are you've recently created your first sourdough starter. Or perhaps you've been gifted one from a friend?

However you've become a "sourdough parent", chances are you'll want to name your new bubbly best friend! It's a great way to add an element of fun to your sourdough journey.

Plus, you'll be feeding your starter twice a day for a considerable amount of time - you may as well make it fun, right?

If you're looking for easy instructions on how to create a sourdough starter, head here.

I've put together a huge list of sourdough starter names - the biggest list you'll find anywhere! There's sure to be the perfect name for your sourdough starter here.

Maybe you've called your starter something that's not on the list? I'd love to hear it so make sure you comment below.

160+ Sourdough Starter Names - The Biggest List Ever!

Celebrity Sourdough Names

  1. Bread Sheeran
  2. Shannon Dougherty
  3. Bridget Bar-dough
  4. Clint Yeastwood
  5. Carrie Breadshaw
  6. Adam Levain
  7. Avril Levain
  8. Breadney Spears
  9. Sheena Yeaston
  10. Taylor Sift
  11. Ryean Seecrust
  12. Emilio Yeastevez
  13. Doughis Day
  14. Yeast Witherspoon
  15. Emilio Yeastevez
  16. Ringo Starter
  17. Doughy Parton
  18. Dolly Start'n
  19. Ayeasta Franklin
  20. Rise-a Minelli
  21. Breadie White
  22. Ryean Reynolds
  23. Danny Doughvito
  24. Bread Sullivan
  25. Bread Pitt
  26. Bill Murrye
  27. Breadie Mercury
  28. Engelbert Pumpernickel
  29. Olivia Gluten John
  30. Leonardough Di Caprio
  31. Yeastie Boys
  32. Sir Rise A Lot
  33. Angelina Doughli
  34. Winona Ryeder
  35. Dough Pesci
  36. Puff Daddy
  37. Wheatney Houston
  38. Maddoughna
  39. Dough Jay Kaloaf
  40. Post Doughlone
  41. Ryehanna
  42. Bun Jovi
  43. Jennifer Doughpez (J Dough)
  44. Yeast 17
  45. Yeaston Blumenthal
  46. Breadstreet Boys
  47. Elon Crust
  48. Sharon Scone
  49. Jason Doughrulo
  50. Eddy Breader
  51. Bread Zepplin
  52. Marlon Brandough
  53. Bread Paisley
  54. Elon Crust
  55. Doughpra
  56. Crustin Hoffman
  57. Bob Baguette
  58. Joseph Gordon Leaven
  59. Crustin Timberlake
  60. Breadany Murphy
  61. Otis Breading
Best Sourdough Starter Names - Over 80+ starter names including celebrity sourdough starter names

Historical Sourdough Names

  1. Thomas Breadison
  2. Thomas Loaferson
  3. Edgar Allan Dough
  4. Leonardough Da Vinci
  5. Vincent Van Dough
  6. Isaac Gluten
  7. Albert Ryenstein
  8. Alexander Hamilton (Rise Up)
  9. Dough Biden
  10. Sourdough Doughmingo
  11. Herculyeast

Classical Sourdough Names

  1. Florence (it means to flourish or blossom)
  2. Elvis
  3. Patience (because you'll need a lot of it)
  4. Mabel
  5. Hope
  6. Albert
  7. Myrtle
  8. Milton
  9. Ruby
  10. Betty
  11. Blanche
  12. Victoria
  13. Bob
  14. Oscar
  15. Nancy
  16. Boris
  17. Rose (because it rises)
  18. Frannie (like San Francisco)
  19. Pearl

Corona Sourdough Names

  1. Quarantina
  2. Corona
  3. Rona
  4. Doughvid-19
  5. Covina
  6. Domicron

TV/Movie Character Sourdough Names

  1. Doughy Tribiani
  2. Will Wheaton
  3. Leonard Hoffbreader
  4. Albus Dumbledough
  5. Hermione Grain-ger
  6. Doughmione Granger
  7. Harry Starter
  8. Doughy Potter
  9. Vol-dough-mort
  10. Ron Yeastly
  11. Hufflepuff
  12. Professor McGonidough
  13. Order of the Doughnix
  14. Expecto Padoughnum
  16. Madoughlorean
  17. Sevengrain Snape
  18. Austin Flours
  19. Luke Ryewalker
  20. Doughba Fett
  21. Judge Bread
  22. The Minions
  23. The Child
  24. Ferment the Frog
  25. Frodough Breadins
  26. Captain Jack Sparrough
  27. Optimus Rise
  28. Little Bread Rising Hood
  29. Gremlins
  30. Cindoughrella
  31. Bread Watch
  32. The GodFlour
  33. Days of Our Loaves
  34. 3CP-Dough
  35. Wicked Witch of the Yeast
  36. Austin Sour
  37. Rye Hard
  38. Frankenstarter
  39. Doughafee (Dorothy)
  40. Bread Flintstone
  41. Cruella Doughville
  42. Breadward Cullen
  43. Captain Hooch

Play on Words

  1. Doughlene
  2. Weirdough
  3. Fernandough
  4. Theodough
  5. Doughlores
  6. Angedough
  7. Pillsbury Dough Boy
  8. The Yeast of My Worries
  9. Doughbert
  10. Dough Rye Me
  11. Fi-Dough
  12. John Dough
  13. Jane Dough
  14. Eduardough
  15. Romedough
  16. Doughadeer
  17. Zebreadiah

Other Starter Name Ideas

  1. Kneady
  2. Dimples
  3. Bubbles
  4. Puffy
  5. Malferment
  6. Rise One
  7. Sour Pants
  8. Phoenix
  9. Polar (cos it lives in the fridge)
  10. Our Flour Child
  11. Hoochie Mama (because it will produce hooch).

Other Ideas for Naming Your Sourdough Starter

If none of the above take your fancy, there are lots of other ways you could name your sourdough starter. Here are a few ideas:

  • Are you using a certain jar to grow your starter (ie pasta, coffee, salsa etc). Name your starter after what was in the jar originally. For example Tostitos Joe or Napolitana.
  • Name your sourdough starter after your favorite place in the world.
  • Name your sourdough starter after the place you live (can be town, street, locality etc) - since the local yeast is what makes it unique.
  • Name your starter to remember someone special or someone who perhaps gave you your sourdough starter.

Why Name Your Sourdough Starter?

Many people view their sourdough starter as simply a tool for making sourdough bread. But for many sourdough bakers it's so much more - so why shouldn't it have a name?

Your sourdough starter is actually a living collection of yeast and bacteria. It needs regular feeding and maintenance. It's just like having a pet really.

And in fact, many sourdough bakers say their sourdough starter has its own unique personality.

This living element is what propels many people to name their scoby (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast). It endears their sourdough starter and creates a familiar culture around the daily ritual of feeding.

Do you have a reason for naming your starter? I'd love to know, make sure you comment below.

I hope this guide to the best sourdough starter names has helped you to name your own sourdough starter. Come and join in the fun in our Facebook Group.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do you name a sourdough starter?

Your starter is a unique colony of yeast and bacteria. It's alive and needs regular feeding - just like you! Many sourdough bakers give their sourdough starter a name to differentiate it from other starters. It also brings an element of fun to what can be a tedious and long process.

How do you feed your sourdough starter in the fridge?

You can't store your sourdough starter in the fridge until it's mature. You really need to leave it on the counter and feed it twice a day during the establishment phase. Once it's mature, you can store it in the fridge and feed it more infrequently. You'll find a full guide to storing your starter in the fridge here.

Does older sourdough starter taste better?

A more mature sourdough starter can definitely bring a more diverse flavor profile to a loaf of sourdough. However, a 12 month old starter can bring just as a robust flavor as a 20 year old starter. A starter that is less than 12 months old will not have developed a full bodied flavor. You'll definitely taste the difference between a younger starter and an older one - especially if the younger one isn't mature.

Further Reading

Sourdough Made Easy Ebook

Share the sourdough love!

Recommended

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *


101 Comments

    1. I have 4 starters. Mark Anthony and Cleopatra, Hail Caesar, and Lazarus.
      I was gifted some named Albus Crumbledor so I kept it. Proof bread’s starter is “Harriet”. All the names are great, thanks for the ideas!

      Reply

  4. I have 3 starters.
    Trudy - from a neighbour whose starter was named Gertie.
    Ollie - one I made from scratch last year and I just liked the name.
    April-May - one I made this April and May to show my 14-yr old grandson how to make a starter from scratch. I kept notes every day so he would know what might happen. She was very active from the beginning and I baked a lovely sandwich loaf on day 14. I used whole wheat and unbleached all purpose. Lots of stirring seemed to do the trick.

    Reply

  7. One day I had to feed the sourdough very early at 4:00 in the morning, and my husband was extremely surprised and asked, “Oh my ! What a Tamagotchi you got in the kitchen? " Since then my sourdough's name is Tamagotchi.

    Reply

  10. I named mine Steve, but afterwards I realized it was a missed opportunity-i should've named it Turner (Turner and Hooch)

    Reply

    1. I named mine starter “Wilberforce” after my favorite character from my favorite television show.
      Only because I have never known anyone with the name. It may sound silly, but helps “force” me to remember to feed my starter.

      Reply

  11. I'm naming one that has begun to make beautiful sourdough for me "Doughtzart"--I will play Mozart while I make the dough. 🙂

    Reply

  13. My teenage daughter and I named our 1st one "Pudge". Pudge controls the weather, or at least makes us control the room temperature!... From "Lilo and Stitch" Pudge the fish, that Lilo feeds peanut butter sandwiches to. I have been experimenting trying to get Pudge more active. Now we have 3 jars going. Pudge, Pudge Jr. In a smaller jar, and Pudge Rye-n, the one switched to... Rye of course! Pudge is still very young, just about 25 days old and still not doubling, but we love Pudge and will find away! My daughter is anxious to bake so we'll try some discard recipes.

    Reply

  16. Mine is called Hamish Jr after its parent starter. I was going to James after my Scottish friend's father, but then she told me that he is actually Gaelic for James so I kept the name Hamish Jr!

    Reply

  18. I named mine mamela after Kamela Harris the first black woman Vice President. She said her kids call her mamela and I took that to be a strong name, hoping my starter would be strong. After a year IT IS strong

    Reply

  19. After finding my abandoned starter in the back of the fridge, and luckily reviving it, I named mine Lazarus - because it rose from the dead.

    Reply

  24. Thank you for an endless amount of ideas and recipes. I named my new friend Crustina Eggulara.

    Reply

  27. I’ve decided on Barry Manidough because he is one of my favorite performers and my starter gives everything it has for each performance (feeding).

    Reply

  32. Hi everyone
    I ha be named my starter Mike (abbreviation for Microbes)
    One I considered was “labRat” because the bugs are - Lactic Acid Bacteria.
    Warren

    Reply

  39. I named my “Felicity” because she always gets so happy (bubbly) when I feed her. If I have another discard jar that I’m using, it is always marked as FM- Felicity Marie as that is the middle name that has been passed down generationally in my family.

    Reply

  43. Festus. From Gunsmoke. I thought about yeastus but I like Festus. My all time favorite show. Marlon Brandough is my starter. Festus is my discard.

    Reply

  45. The starter I began with was from someone named Felicia, hence her name on the jar. I have had her for a year. I started my own in a second jar to experiment and since he was my first creation, his name is Adam. Shortly before Christmas, with lots of plans of making lots of sourdough goodies, I started my third jar and since he's the newest, he's Newton. Silly, but true and since I like to experiment with the science of it all, it's helpful to have three and keep their names on the jars. 🙂

    Reply

  48. Thanks to your suggestion to use TV show characters, our sourdough starter is named Officer John Doughlan ("The Starter"). Strong contenders were Eleaven (born on the 11th), Zoey (means "life"), and Seamus Feedagain (big HP fans).

    Reply

  49. Just rejuvenated my starter from having dried "it"out a couple of years ago.

    Never really have a name before.

    His name will now be Sponge Blob.

    Reply

  55. My friend named it Audrey. From Little Shop Of Horrors. ( The plants name was Audrey) “ Feed me Seymour”

    Reply

  59. My daughter purchased her starter from King Arthur and named it "Merlin". She recently gifted me with starter from her batch and I named it "Morgana".

    Reply

  63. I’m just starting out! Thank Lynette for the inspiration. I’m naming my starter after my mom and favorite person in the world (heaven). Ruby Mertalicious! Ruby was my grandma and she was the best cook and baker and she was my fav person ever and my mom/best friend’s nickname is Mert. So Ruby Mertalicious it is. Mert for short.

    Reply

    2. I named my starter Mother Nature and my discard Esperanza (always hoping she will perform and she hasn’t failed me!).

      Reply

  65. My hubby started spouting off these Movie themes ones he made up! Too Hilarious not to share!

    Fairy Dough-Mother
    Cindoughrella
    Dough White
    Gail gadough
    Captain doughmerica
    A Few good yeast
    The Doughminator
    ..You can’t handle the Dough
    Doctor Dough
    YODOUGH (instead of YOLO)
    Double Dough7
    Dough another day
    Dough dough Baggins

    Reply

    1. These are great! Mine is named Persephone, because half the time she’s alive 💐 and half the time she’s dead ☠️

      Reply

  67. Was gifted a sourdough starter for Christmas made from einkorn flour and a bunch of equipment to get into bread making. I named the starter Einakin Doughstarter.

    Reply

  68. Mine is "Thayne's theorem". Named for my uncle who got me interested in the finer points of cooking. And won local Sourdough completions for many years.

    Reply

  71. I did not go the celebrity route in naming my starter. I call mine Billy-Bob! My father-In-law's name was William (who went by Bill) and my father's name was Robert (who went by Bob). I loved them both dearly and they are both deceased. Billy-Bob is almost 3 years old has produced some pretty amazing sourdough loaves!

    Reply

  73. Meet Picky Penelope. I'm still waiting for her to double consistently. We are on week 3+. My house is cool, I've moved her around, tried the oven and microwave with the light on. Had skin and crust form. Started with AP unbleached flour, changed to whole wheat - which she loved and doubled. Switched back to AP, bubbles decreased, became watery with hooch on top. Fed her 1:2:<1 this morning. It's a process for sure, but I'm enjoying it.

    Reply

  76. I just got started in this world... My first was inherited from my DIL last month, so I gave it her last name, which is Francis and I love it. Then I started my own, just last Sunday, for the sake of learning, and I called her "Maria", after The Sound of Music's Maria Von Trapp ("How do you solve a problem like Maria??" - seemed perfect lol). I have no idea what I am doing! =)

    Reply

  77. I am new to sourdough. When it came to the first discard, the husband suggested keep it as a spare in case the main one died. So they became William and Harry, after Harry's book 'Spare'. Then a week or so later I took some of William and tried adding whole wheat instead of the bread flour, and got George. Keeping them all going became a chore and they were collectively the Royal pains. Now that I read your advice to only keep one, there will be a royal purge.

    Reply

  79. Used to have starters made from different grains. Weaned one off of the various whole-grain flours and fed it only white flour, as an experiment. Explaining it to someone I said, "And this one is all-white, all-the-time." So my starter's name is JIM CROW for a couple-three years now.

    Reply