Pasta Inspired Dog Names

Introduction

Whether it’s obvious or not, dogs and pasta have a lot more in common than most might think. They both come in a variety of shapes and can both be soft, hard, curly, straight, and even tube-like (thanks Dachshunds!). Of course, it doesn’t hurt that pasta names are a fantastic roster of Italian words with meanings that are similarly applicable from “big bellies” to “thin hair”, leaving potential dog-namers a literal grocery list of clever titles to represent their canine companions. And best of all, if you’re Italian (or your dog is), it’s just that much more appropriate and clever when your relatives understand the meaning behind the name as well.

Pasta Inspired Dog Names in Pop Culture

Featured Famous Dog With a Pasta Inspired Name

Barilla

When most of us think of pasta-inspired names, we often think of something nostalgic, cute and as down-to-earth as mom’s home-made cooking and it stands to good reason: food is one huge way we connect to our families and other people, no matter what culture we come from. Unfortunately, not everyone has equal access to it and that includes dogs.

Two years ago, in Granada, Spain, a starving puppy was taken to an animal rescue in such bad shape it exemplified the potential cruelty humans are capable of bestowing on often helpless animals. The poor mix was so emaciated the rescuers decided to (somewhat ironically) name her Barilla after Barilla spaghetti because she was almost nothing but skin and bones.

When they first brought her in, she had received so little food and water that she had almost no muscle mass whatsoever. At just 16 pounds, she couldn’t even support herself when standing up, though she was at least able to raise her head and wag her tail when the rescuers finally found her plastered weakly to the floor, her paws and legs nearly scarred from attempting to drag herself around.

When she finally reached the rescue, experts said she was lucky to be alive as she may not have even lived another day and even though they placed her on a drip, they knew she could suffer organ failure at any minute. Her new owner, Eduardo Rodriguez, who had been rescuing dogs for years, said she was the worst case of animal cruelty he had ever seen. It took six hours of being on a drip before they could even offer her food, which she had to eat lying down in a dog bed, unable to get up and reach the dish any other way.

One week and nearly 10 pounds later, she was still unable to walk and rescuers had to create a special harness for her to help her rebuild some of her muscle mass, enough to get her feet under her. Fortunately, thanks to their care and frequent feeding, she put on enough weight and muscle to begin walking again. After seven weeks, she had made a miraculous recovery and was then adopted by Rodriguez, who took her home to live with his wife, 14-year-old daughter and five other dogs. Rodriguez said she is one of the best companions he’s ever had. Now at a much healthier 46 pounds for her size, she is doing well in her new home.

Pasta Inspired Dog Name Considerations

When trying to come up with a clever and appropriate pasta inspired name for your dog, there are a few things you should consider. First, start by isolating their most prominent traits, such as their looks, personality and quirks, as they’ll help you identify some possible directions. Second, consider whether you want to keep their name true to their gender, as many pastas end with masculine and feminine-specific suffixes (-ini, -elli, -illi, -etti for male, -ine, -elle for female).

There are several different ways you can go with the naming process, such as using their aesthetics. For instance, if your dog has particularly curly hair, such as a Poodle mix, consider giving them the name of a curly pasta, such as Busiate, Mafalde or Fusilli. It also works if their hair is long and thin, making names like Bavette or Spaghetti good options as well.

Of course, if you want to be extra clever, try looking into the named meanings of the pasta as well. By example, if your dog has a particularly large potbelly, then the name Pansotti would be perfect. If they’re particularly slow, then the name Lumache would be great, the same way the name Rotelle, which means “little wheels”, would be great for a small, fast dog.

There are plenty more ways you can go about it, but these are just a few easy ideas on how to come up with something cute, clever and meaningful. At least, as far as it can be when it comes to pasta names.

Male Pasta Inspired Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
2	Ravioli Two flat, square cuts of pasta stuffed and combined
1	Rombi Rhombus-shaped ribbons of pasta
0	Linguine Flatter spaghetti; name meaning "little tongues"
0	Tripoline A thick ribboned pasta that is ridged on one side
-1	Bigoli A thicker yet softer spaghetti-like pasta sometimes made with duck egg
-1	Mafaldine A shorter version of Mafalde
-1	Maltagliati Scraps of pasta made from other bad cuts
-1	Stringozzi Name meaning "shoestring-like" for good reason
-1	Trenette Thin ribbon pasta that's ridged on one side
-1	Cavatelli Short but solid cuts of pasta
-1	Farfalle A bow-tie or butterfly shaped; name meaning the latter as well
-1	Fiori A wide-cut flower-shaped pasta with the name meaning the same
-1	Ditali Short tubes with about the same width and length; meaning "thimbles"
-1	Orzo Little rice-shaped pasta
-1	Cannelloni A long, hollow roll of pasta, usually filled with a variety of things
-1	Agnolotti Square or semi-circular stuffed pasta, usually with meat/cheese
-1	Lumache Snail shell-shaped pasta with the name meaning the same
-1	Mezzelune Semi-circular stuffed pasta meaning half-moons
-1	Tortellini Ring-shaped, meat or cheese stuffed pasta
-1	Sacchettoni Meaning "large, little sacks"
-1	Pansotti A triangular shaped pasta with a puffed center; meaning "big bellies"
-2	Bucatini A thick, drinking straw-shaped pasta, the name meaning "hole" or "pierced"
-2	Capellini Thin spaghetti-like nests; meaning "thin hair"
-2	Fedelini Super thin spaghetti; meaning "little faithful ones"
-2	Fazzoletti Thin squares or rectangles
-2	Fettucce Wider than fettuccini
-2	Lagane Like pappardelle, long, flat, and broad
-2	Gemelli A loose spiral; Italian for "twins"
-2	Rigatoni Grooved, medium-sized tubes with square cut ends; name meaning "to line, groove"

Female Pasta Inspired Dog Names

Votes	Name	Vote
1	Anelli Short, tubular rings with the name meaning the same
0	Barbina A coiled, nest-shaped pasta meaning "little beards"
0	Busiate A long, coiled macaroni often wrapped around a twig for shape; name meaning "reed"
0	Pici Thick, long, and irregular hand-rolled pasta; meaning "to stick"
0	Spaghetti Long, thin strings of pasta; name meaning "little strings"
0	Vermicelli A thicker spaghetti
0	Ziti Long and skinny hose-like pasta
0	Bavette A long ribbon pasta, name meaning "bibs"
0	Bavettine A narrower version of Bavette
0	Fettuccine Medium-width ribbon pasta
0	Fileja Pasta that looks like someone stretched out a screw
0	Lasagna Rectangular sheets
0	Lasagnette A longer, narrower version of lasagna
0	Mafalde Long, rectangular ribbons of pasta with ruffled edges
0	Pappardelle Thick, flat, egg-based ribbons; name meaning "to pig out"
0	Pillus Thin ribbons of pasta
0	Sagnette Short, thick ribbons from abruzzo and molise pasta
0	Tagliatelle Ribbons of pasta that are egg-based and usually narrower than fettuccine
0	Taglierini A thinner version of tagliatelle
0	Testaroli Thicker, triangular shaped flat pasta
0	Calamarata Wide, ring-shaped pasta; name meaning "squid-like"
0	Fusilli Medium length, medium thickness corkscrew-type pasta
0	Maccheroni Bent or straight short tubes
0	Penne Medium length tube-like pasta with ridges
0	Campanelle Flattened, bell-shaped pasta with an open, frilly end; name meaning bellflower
0	Gnocchi Bumpy, lobed shells
0	Rotelle Wagon wheel-shaped pasta; name meaning "little wheels"
0	Trofie Thin, twisted pasta made of durum wheat
0	Fregula Bead-like, slightly toasted pasta; name meaning "little fragments"
0	Caramelle A stuffed pasta resembling double-twisted candy
0	Passatelli One of few made from a variety of ingredients including bread crumbs, cheese, and lemon