360+ Italian Dog Names for your Cane!

Italian is one of the most romantic languages in the world. Italians can be talking about food, coffee, history, or something as mundane as car insurance and it still sounds beautiful. So of course lots of us are looking for Italian dog names to call our pooches. 

Whether you simply love pasta, have always dreamt of driving through the Tuscan hills, or are about to adopt a Cane Corso – we have the perfect selection of names for you to choose from. We’ll cover common Italian names, names inspired by Italian culture, and let you know which we think are the best choices for different breeds.

Divertiti!

Our Tips For Choosing an Italian Name for Your Dog

When you start to think about calling your pet a foreign name, there are a few things you need to think about. Here are our top tips for Italian dog names!

Can you pronounce it? As an Italian language lover, the last thing you want to do is butcher it. Some words are harder to pronounce than others, so make sure you practice a lot and choose one that’s easy for you!

Syllables. Dogs react well to shorter names with just two syllables. That’s not a rule you have to follow (we certainly haven’t on this list) but it does mean you can get your dog’s attention more quickly when needed.

Vowels. Luckily Italian is full of vowels – so this shouldn’t be an issue. Vowels are clearer for dogs to understand and easier for you too. So, try to choose a name that has strong vowel sounds that they can react to.

Choose a name you like. It’s best to avoid renaming a dog when possible. Pups can get confused and it can stall the training process. So, it’s important you choose an Italian dog name you like from day one. Think about the meaning, whether it suits your pup, and how easily you can pronounce it!

100 Italian Boy Dog Names

We don’t always think about names having a meaning. But that’s not the case in Italian! Many male Italian dog names are not just names but have a whole other meaning. Like did you know Lorenzo means crown?

Read on to find out the rest!

Achille

Adamo

Adriano

Alessandro

Alessio

Amadeo

Antonio

Arturo

Augusto

Bernardo

Bruno

Calogero

Camillo

Cesare

Ciro

Claudio

Constanzo

Daniele

Danilo

Dante

Davide

Donatello

Edoardo

Enrico

Enzo

Ercole

Ernesto

Ettore

Ezio

Fabio

Fabrizio

Fedele

Federico

Filippo

Flavio

Francesco

Gabriele

Gaetano

Gaspare

Geronimo

Giacome

Gian Carlo

Gianluca

Gianluigi

Gilberto

Giuseppe

Graziano

Gregorio

Guglielmo

Gustavo

Ignazio

Lamberto

Leopoldo

Livio

Lorenzo

Lucio

Marcello

Mariano

Massimo

matteo

Mauro

Michelangelo

Michele

Mirco

Napoleone

Niccolò

Nino

Noe

Omero

Orazio

Orlando

Ottavio

Paolo

Pasquale

Patrizio

Pellegrino

Peppino

Piero

Pietro

Pompeo

Raffaello

Raimondo

Renzo

Roberto

Rodolfo

Romeo

Romolo

Salvatore

Samuele

Silvestro

Silvio

Stefano

Tiberio

Tonino

Tullio

Ugo

Umberto

Valerio

Vespasiano

Vittorio

100 Italian Girl Dog Names

There are also some really beautiful Italian girl names for you to call your pooch. Some of them are classics and some may be new to you.

Adele

Adriana

Alessandra

Alessia

Allegra

Amelia

Angelica

Angelina

Anita

Antonia

Aria

Aurora

Barbara

Beatrice

Berenice

Bianca

Camilla

Carla

Carlotta

Carolina

Cassandra

Chiara

Diana

Diletta

Donatella

Dora

Elena

Elisabetta

Emma

Eva

Fabia

Federica

Filippa

Fiorella

Flavia

Flora

Francesca

Gabriella

Gianna

Giorgia

Giovanna

Gisela

Giulia

Giulietta

Gloria

Graziella

Greca

Ida

Ilaria

Imelda

Irene

Isabella

Lara

Laura

Lea

Letizia

Licia

Lidia

Lisa

Lolla

Loredana

Loretta

Lucia

Luciana

Lucrezia

Luisa

Marcella

Margherita

Mariano

Marta

Martina

Melania

Melissa

Monica

Nina

Olga

Paola

Renata

Rita

Rosa

Sandra

Silvia

Simonetta

Sonia

Stefania

Stella

Susanna

Teresa

Tiziana

Tonia

Valentina

Valeria

Vanessa

Verona

Veronica

Victoria

Virginia

Vittoria

Xenia

Zita

50 Names Inspired by Italian Food and Cuisine

When someone mentions Italy, we might think of beaches, architecture, fashion, and history. But one thing is for sure – everyone thinks of Italian food! What better inspiration for a name for your pup than one of the most popular cuisines in the world?

Arancino	Oh the delicious deep-fried rice balls from Sicily. And a cute name for your pup too!
Biscotto	You might know biscotti but that’s actually the plural. A great name for a Samoyed as they’re one of two breeds that can have a “biscuit” colored coat!
Bolognesa	A classic and a favorite
Bruschetta	Usually mispronounced by English speakers, these toasts should actually be pronounced “brus-K-etta”
Burrata	Possibly the best cheese ever?
Cacio	One half of the famous cacio e pepe pasta, meaning “cheese”!
Calzone	A folded pizza
Cannelloni	A delicious rolled lasagne and a great name for a Cane Corso!
Cannolo	Or is this a better name?
Carbonara	Never. Add. Cream.
Carciofo	One of the most beautiful Italian words meaning “artichoke”!
Crostata	A kind of baked pie and a good choice for an Italian dog breed
Diavola	Spicy salami pizza!
Farfalle	The butterfly-shaped pasta
Focaccia	A type of yummy Italian bread
Frittata	A kind of Italian omelet and one of the best Italian dog names!
Gelato	How cute is this name for any dog breed?
Gnocchi	These boiled potato dumpling-type treats are one of the best things to come out of Italy!
Lasagna	Lasagne the Labrador. You can’t say it wouldn’t be unique!
Mela	How pretty is the Italian word for apple?
Minestrone	One of the most delicious soups, it’s also a great dog name
Mortadella	Perfect for any sausage-loving dog – so basically all of them
Mozzarella	The happiest dog in the world (for all the Friends fans!)
Nutella	The best name for any chocolate-colored pooches
Pandoro	An Italian sweet bread eaten at Christmas
Panettone	Another Italian sweet bread eaten at Christmas
Panino	What we should be calling a panini
Panna Cotta	Literally meaning “cooked cream”, it’s a type of Italian dessert and a great name for all those cream colored pups!
Parmigiana	One of the best dishes ever! Aubergine, cheese, tomato – what isn’t to like!
Parmigiano	Or is this the best cheese ever?
Pasta	I don’t think that needs a description but what a great name for a Poodle!
Pecorino	Or is this the best cheese ever?
Pepe	The second half of cacio e pepe meaning “pepper”
Pesto	A very cute name for a small doggo
Pizza	Only the most famous food to come out of Italy
Polpetta	The Italian word for meatballs and one of the best when it comes to cute Italian dog names
Pomodoro	Pomodoro the Pomeranian
Prosciutto	A type of Italian, dry-cured ham
Provolone	Another Italian cheese (maybe not the best one ever)
Ragù	It’s not the same as bolognese. Don’t ask us how. But it’s not the same
Ravioli	Imagine an adorable Rottweiler called ravioli. It would just melt your heart!
Ricotta	A delicious cured cheese and a great name for an Italian dog breed
Risotto	As far as Italian dog names inspired by food go, you can’t get much better or cuter than risotto!
Spaghetti	How adorable would it be to call your mixed pup spaghetti?
Stracciatella	Did you know stracciatella actually has three meanings? Soup, gelato, and cheese – and the only thing they have in common is their name!
Tagliatelle	From the Italian word meaning “to cut”, these are thin bits of pasta that go well with bolognese. Or Ragù
Tartufo	The perfect name for a Miniature Poodle. These pups were originally bred to search for truffles – so it’s ideal!
Tiramisu	Who doesn’t love a tiramisu?
Torta	A type of Italian pie that’s usually savory
Tortellini	A ring-shaped filled pasta and an amazing name for a pooch!

Coffee-Related Names for Dogs

Coffee and Italy go hand in hand together. Whether it’s with milk, black, short, or long, there’s a coffee for every occasion in Italia! They also make some really amazing names for your boy and girl dogs!

Affogato	Affogato actually means “to drown”, which isn’t the nicest name for your water-loving pup. It’s also a coffee with ice cream.
Caffè	Literally the Italian word for coffee (you can find more coffee dog names here)
Cappuccino	You should only ever drink cappuccino in the morning. Really. Italians won’t like any other time of day
Caramelo	A caramel sauce used as a sweetener
Corretto	A boozy coffee containing grappa or brandy
Crema	Crema di caffè is a type of cold coffee dessert. It’s also a wonderful name for a cream-colored pooch
Doppio	A standard double espresso. Great for black dog breeds!
Espressino	A little cappuccino served in a shot glass. Ideal for toy breeds
Espresso	A great name for a Pug or an Affenpinscher
Freddo	Ice coffee. The perfect name for snow-loving doggos
Latte	One of the most popular coffees, latte actually just means “milk”
Lungo	One espresso shot with more water to make it “long”, definitely a good name for an Italian Greyhound
Mochaccino	Hot chocolate and coffee all in one drink
Ristretto	A smaller “limited” espresso
Schiumato	How great is that word? This is a single espresso with a shot of foamy milk

Name Your Dog After an Italian City

Italian cities are on many people’s lists of dream destinations to go to. They also make great Italian dog names!

Roma	The capital
Milano	The fashion industry’s capital in northern Italy
Padova	A beautiful word and a small city west of Venice
Torino	The Italian name for Turin, a business city in the north of the country
Firenze	Who doesn’t want to go to beautiful Florence?
Pompei	A UNESCO World Heritage Site thanks to the ancient ruins of Pompei. Another great name for a Pomeranian.
Verona	One of the most romantic cities in the world and home to Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet
Napoli	100% for a Neapolitan Mastiff
Bologna	Home to the bolognese
Venezia	City in northeastern Italy famous for its canals and a great name for dogs that love water
Genova	A port town famous for pesto
Parma	Home to parmesan and parma ham. The new number 1 place to visit
Bari	The capital of Italy’s Puglia region in the south
Palermo	Sicily’s capital
Crotone	A port city in Calabria in the south of the country
Lecce	Pronounce “Lechay”, this is a city in the Apulia region
Cagliari	The capital of the island of Sardinia
Sassari	How beautiful is that for a name for your dog? It’s also the second largest city in Sardinia
Rimini	Another stunning name and a city of the Adriatic coast
Trieste	A city on the Italian Slovenian border

15 Names Inspired by Famous Italian Figures

There are so many famous Italians. Everyone from Roman emperors to artists and fashion designers – there’s something for everyone to choose from!

Augusto	There are many famous Augustos, perhaps the most famous is Augusto Novelli the Italian writer
Dante	The Father of the Italian language. For some reason, this seems like a great name for a guard dog
Fermi	Enrico Fermi built the world’s first nuclear reactor
Galileo	Thunderbolt and lightning – very, very frightening!
Garibaldi	An Italian general who helped create the Kingdom of Italy
Giulio Cesare	Julius Caesar and the name of a famous opera
Leonardo	Da Vinci, the famous Renaissance painter
Machiavelli	Italian philosopher, author, and historian and such a great name for an intelligent dog!
Marco Polo	The adventurer who traveled from Europe to Asia (also a great option if you have two pups to name)!
Michelangelo	Sculptor, painter, and poet. One of his most famous works is the sculpture of David
Raffaello	Renaissance painter and architect
Verdi	An Italian composer best known for his beautiful operas. Maybe a good choice for a Vizsla mix?
Vespucci	Amerigo Vespucci was an explorer and the person who America is named after!
Vivaldi	An Italian composer
Volta	The inventor of the electric battery – he’s a pretty big deal in physics!

Ancient Roman Names for Your Dog

Italian history is fascinating, especially the Romans. The iconic figures also have some great names for us to call out furry friends!

Albus	Of course Dumbledore is actually “bright’ (you can find more magical Harry Potter dog names here)
Apollo	The male Greek and Roman God of music, the sun, medicine, and archery. A great name for a big good boy!
Augustus	Considered to be the first Roman Emperor (Julius Caesar's adopted son)
Ceres	Pronounced “Cheresa”, she is the God of fertility, agriculture, earth, and motherhood. She’s normally a mature woman so a good choice for an older pup
Cicero	He was a high-ranking lawyer, consul, and writer during the Roman Republic
Domitia	She was a Roman Empress married to Domitian (really). This beautiful Italian dog day is still very popular today
Hadrian	Emperor Hadrian was known for his love of art and for strengthening the Empire. He’s also responsible for building the Roman wall through my tiny village in the North of England!
Juno	An Ancient Roman Goddess – the perfect name for an elegant yet strong pooch
Jupiter	Not just the bright star in the sky, Jupiter was the chief God of Ancient Rome
Mars	Mars the Mastiff and the God of war
Minerva	Have you got an intelligent female pup? Then as the Goddess of wisdom, Minerva, could be a great name!
Octavia	Feminine of Octavius, she was married to Mark Antony. His decision to divorce her led to civil war
Saturn	The god of time, wealth, and sewing or seed
Titus	The emperor who completed the Colosseum!
Trajan	First Emperor born outside of Rome (in today’s Seville), one of the greatest conquerors and best emperors
Vesta	A Goddess and the protector of the Roman people. She's also the Goddess of bakers!

Animal Names in Italian

We know, it might be a little weird to call your dog another animal (especially if there are any Italians around), but some of the words are so beautiful and make great doggy names!

Heads Up: when it’s not explained, the (m) next to the word means it’s a masculine word, (f) means feminine, and both means… both. Just in case grammar is important to you when naming your pup!

Balena	The word for “whale” (f) – and a great choice for any big doggos
Cane	Pronounced “Canay” (not like sugar cane), it’s the obvious choice for your male pooch!
Cavallo	The masculine word for “horse”
Coniglio	How great is that word? It’s the masculine word for “rabbit”
Delfino	We think this is perfect for any bouncy pup! It means “dolphin” (m)
Farfalla	The inspiration for the pasta shapes. It means “butterfly” (f) and is one of the prettiest words in Italian! Also the perfect name for a Papillon
Formica	Means “ant” (m)
Gallina	The female word for chicken. Can you imagine calling your beautiful pooch chicken in any language?
Giraffa	You can probably guess that one (f)
Gorilla	And that one (m)
Gufo	Gufo the Great Dane! It means “owl” (m)
Leone	Meaning “lion” (m), it’s perfect for any dog that looks like a lion!
Maiale	Means “pig” (m)
Mosca	A great word and dog name, but it does mean “fly’ (f)
Oca	Means “goose” (f)
Orso	Lots of dogs look like bears, so there’s no better name! (m)
Panda	“Panda” (m) is a common name for dogs, especially black and white ones!
Pesce	Pronounced more “peshay”, this word means “fish” (m)
Pipistrello	New favorite Italian word! Meaning “bat” (m), it’s perfect for any toy breeds
Porcospino	Another favorite meaning “hedgehog” (m)
Pulcino	Means “chick” (m)
Ragno	How can this be the word for “spider” (m)?
Rana	Meaning “frog” (m), we like Rana the Russell Terrier
Serpente	Means “snake” (m)
Squalo	Even the word for “shark” (m) is pretty in Italian
Tacchino	And the word for “turkey” (m)
Tartaruga	Do you have a slow-paced breed like the English Bulldog? Calling them “turtle” (f) could be perfect!
Topo	Topo the Rat Terrier! (OK, topo means “mouse” (m), but close enough!)
Uccello	Not the easiest word to say, but the word for “bird” (m) in Italian is definitely beautiful!
Volpe	The ideal name for a “Fox” (m) Terrier?
Zanzara	“Mosquito” (f) is a wonderful name for any pooch!

Beautiful Italian Words

As if we haven’t given you enough beautiful Italian words already. Here are a couple more!

Alba	“Dawn” (f) is a stunning name for a sweet dog
Allegria	How much allegria does your pooch bring to your life? Since it means “cheerfulness” (f), we hope a lot!
Arancio	Perfect for an “orange” (m) or orange and black dog!
Azzuro	Means “light blue” (m)
Bianco/a	Sometimes an obvious name works well. A wonderful name for a “white” (m/f) dog!
Crepusculo	If you’ve got two doggos to name, why not call them Alba and Crepusculo (dusk m)?
Cucciolo	Meaning “puppy” (m), this is an amazing name for your new puppy!
Euforia	Sure you can guess that one (f)
Furbo/a	Have you got a particularly “clever” or “sneaky” dog (m/f)? Then this would work well for them!
Giallo/a	Means “yellow” (m/f) in Italian
Idillo	For your idyl (f) furry friend
Luna	Means “moon” (f)
Magari	Means “maybe”. It also means “margaritas” – so you can decide!
Notte	“Night” (f), a good choice for a black Newfoundland
Nuvola	Meaning “cloud” (f) this could definitely be the name for any fluffy white pup
Rosso/a	The Italian word for “red” (m/f)
Sole	Means “sun” (m)
Verde	True, there aren’t many “green” (m+f) dogs around, but it’s a pretty name nonetheless

What Are Some Famous Italian Dog Breeds?

Italy, unlike some countries like Iceland, has many native dog breeds. A couple of the most popular are:

• Bergamasco Sheepdog
• Bolognese (not the sauce)
• Bracco Italiano
• Cane Corso
• Italian Greyhound
• Lagotto Romagnolo
• Neapolitan Mastiff

Is Italy Dog-Friendly?

According to Statista, 25% of households in Italy had at least one dog in 2021. So, I think we can say that Italy is dog-friendly. Pups are allowed in many cafes, restaurants, tourist attractions, and public spaces but, of course, double-check before heading out anywhere with your pooch.

Like many countries, there are a couple of banned dog breeds in Italy. These include the Tosa Inu, Pitbull, and the Brazilian Mastiff. Also, Venice doesn’t allow Rottweilers or Doberman Pinschers.

So, more than 350 Italian dog names for your cane. Let us know if you choose one for your pup and what breed they are!