Last Updated on April 20, 2023
While Italian names work best for dog breeds with origins in and around Italy, they also make charming and unique names for any pooch.
Finding the perfect name for your pup can be tricky, especially with all the options available. That’s why we’ve narrowed down the best Italian Dog Names.
So keep scrolling and check out our list.
Quick Navigation
- 1 How do you pick the right Italian name for your dog?
- 2 What’s in a name: Who’s the most famous dog with an Italian name?
- 3 Best Italian dog names
- 4 Adorable Italian dog names based on Italian words
- 5 Italian dog names inspired by geography
- 6 Italian Dog names inspired by famous Italians
- 7 Dog names based on Italian cuisine
- 8 Other Italian Dog Names
- 9 What Italian dog name should you go for?
- 10 Further Reading: Other Cool Dog Name Inspirations
How do you pick the right Italian name for your dog?
We recommend testing out a few names before making a decision. One of the best tips for naming your puppy is to call out the name and see how your little furball responds.
Try to avoid names similar to common commands like ‘sit’. Otherwise, your dog may get confused during dog training.
They’re going to have this name for the rest of their life, so it’s imperative you not only choose a name to suit them but also one which can grow with your dog.
What’s in a name: Who’s the most famous dog with an Italian name?
Naming your dog after an Insta-famous pooch is another excellent way to find a cool Italian name to suit your dog. Here are a few of the most famous Italian dogs and dogs with Italian names on Instagram.
- Iggy Joey – with 81.1k followers – @iggyjoey
- Dora Figalga – with 57.8k followers – @dora_figalga
- Tika – with 1.1m followers – @tikatheiggy
- Luigi and Giuseppe – with 31k followers – @luiginyc
- Enzo – with 52.4k followers – @whatenzodid
Best Italian dog names
Italian names are popular amongst dog owners worldwide. The language is filled with beautiful, cool, and meaningful words, which can be awesome monikers.
There are so many different names to choose from, but our top choices appear on the list below.
Italian dog names based on breed
The breed of your dog can be a great starting point for choosing a name. For example, if you’ve brought home an Italian dog breed, selecting a name inspired by their heritage is a great choice.
Italian dog breeds include:
- Spinone Italiano
- Bergamasco Shepherd
- Segugio Italiano
- Volpino
- Cane Corso
- Saint Bernard
- Bracco Italiano
- Bolognese
- Maremma Sheepdog
- Neapolitan Mastiff (one of the best working dog breeds)
- Italian Greyhound
- Cirneco dell’Etna
- Lagotto Romagnolo
Curious about other Italian dog breeds? Check out this video:
These breeds are unique and deserve equally cool and interesting names. Try a few of these breed-inspired Italian dog names on your new pooch. Possibly one of them will stick.
- Bella
- Biscotti
- Cannoli
- Cappuccino
- Cesare
- Dante
- Dolce
- Enzo
- Gianna
- Giuseppe
- Guido
- Isabella
- Luna
- Lupo
- Paola
- Paisano
- Primo
- Rocco
- Sofia
Italian dog names for Cane Corsos
Looking for a great name for your new Cane Corso? This purebred is no small dog. It’s powerful and athletic and needs a strong name to suit their stature. Here are a few of our top names for this Italian dog breed.
- Albus
- Alessandra
- Bestia
- Brutus
- Cesar
- Dino
- Felix
- Juno
- Mimi
- Nero
- Orso
- Tito
- Vito
Best male and female Italian dog names
If you’re looking for a gender-specific name for your pup, there are some great traditional Italian names to fit the bill. Here are a few of our top male and female Italian dog names for any dog breed.
Female Italian dog names
Why not give your new lady a traditional Italian name? Below you’ll find some of our favorite female Italian names in alphabetical order.
- Aida
- Aletta
- Alonza
- Amalea
- Andria
- Angelica
- Anita
- Antonia
- Aria
- Aurora
- Bambi
- Belinda
- Belladonna
- Bellissa
- Bruna
- Cadenza
- Cameo
- Camila
- Caprice
- Cara
- Carlotta
- Carmela
- Catarina
- Celeste
- Celia
- Cerelia
- Chiara
- Cira
- Clarice
- Constanza
- Contessa
- Desdemona
- Dona
- Donatella
- Elda
- Elena
- Esta
- Fabia
- Fausta
- Federica
- Flavia
- Fortuna
- Francesca
- Frida
- Gabriella
- Gaia
- Ghita
- Ginevra
- Giovanna
- Giulia
- Giuliana
- Grazia
- Greta
- Ilaria
- Iniga
- Leola
- Leona
- Leonora
- Liliana
- Lunetta
- Madonna
- Maria
- Marta
- Martina
- Mia
- Miriam
- Natala
- Nicia
- Nicola
- Nives
- Pietra
- Pippa
- Puci
- Rachele
- Ramona
- Regina
- Rosalie
- Rossella
- Rufina
- Silvana
- Simona
- Teresa
- Terza
- Trista
- Valentina
- Valeria
- Viola
- Zaza
Male Italian dog names
If you’ve bought home a handsome male pup, try one of these traditional Italian names for your male dog.
- Alberto
- Alfredo
- Ambrosi
- Andrea
- Apollo
- Bartolomeo
- Benito
- Brando
- Carlo
- Christian
- Colombo
- Corrado
- Davide
- Diego
- Domenico
- Drago
- Eduardo
- Egidio
- Elio
- Elmo
- Emilio
- Enea
- Enrico
- Ernesto
- Este
- Ettore
- Faust
- Federico
- Fido
- Filippo
- Flavio
- Francesco
- Gabriele
- Geronimo
- Giacomo
- Giancarlo
- Gino
- Gioele
- Giorgio
- Giovanni
- Giuliano
- Hannibal
- Ignazio
- Ilario
- Julius
- Lanza
- Leo
- Lorenz/ Lorenzo
- Luca
- Lucca
- Luciano
- Lucio
- Massimo
- Matteo
- Nano
- Nicolo
- Orlando
- Paolo
- Pascal/ Pasquale
- Piero
- Pietro
- Pio
- Pippino
- Pluto
- Renato
- Renzo
- Ricardo
- Rinaldo
- Roberto
- Rocky
- Romano
- Romeo
- Salvatore
- Santo
- Sergio
- Stefano
- Tomaso
- Toro
- Ugo
- Valerio
- Vincenzo
Adorable Italian dog names based on Italian words
The Italian language is beautiful. Plus, it contains some stunning words that make for unique dog names with plenty of meaning behind them.
Here are a few cute Italian dog names inspired by the Italian language.
- Aldo – “Rich”
- Alto – “Wolf”
- Amore – “Love.”
- Bellissimo – “Very beautiful”.
- Bravo – “Good boy”
- Bruno – “Brown hair”
- Carina – “Cute”
- Cucciolo – “Puppy”
- Grazie – “Thank you”
- Piccolo – “Little one.”
- Polpetto – “Meatball.”
- Tesoro – “Treasure”
- Topolino – “Little mouse”
Italian dog names with meanings
Are you looking for a name with a strong meaning? Below you’ll find some great dog names inspired by Italy, with their meanings in brackets beside them.
- Baffi (Moustache)
- Bambino (Baby)
- Bianca (White)
- Ciao (Hello)
- Cane (Dog)
- Caos (Chaos)
- Cielo (Sky)
- Gigante (Giant)
- Misto (Mixed)
- Osso (Bone)
- Pane (Bread)
- Pazzo (Crazy)
- Pelo (Fur)
- Pozza (Puddle)
- Tino (Tiny)
- Vita (Life)
- Volante (Flying)
Italian dog names inspired by geography
The country of Italy has some beautiful Geographical features. Try out some of these Geography-inspired Italian dog names on your new puppy.
- Calabria
- Catania
- Como
- Lazio
- Milan
- Naples
- Palermo
- Pisa
- Pompeii
- Roma
- Sicily
- Siena
- Tivoli
- Trevi
Italian dog names based on cities & locations
Italy is home to some stunning and intriguing cities which have beautiful names. Try a few of these Italian Dog Names based on cities and locations.
- Ardea
- Atri
- Bari
- Bronte
- Cantù
- Carpi
- Fondi
- Forio
- Forli
- Lucca
- Lugo
- Melfi
- Nola
- Sarno
- Sora
- Vasto
- Verona
Dog names based on locations & landmarks in Italy
Additionally, you could also find inspiration from Italian landmarks and locations.
- Rome
- Tuscany
- Venice
- Amalfi
- Florence
- Genoa
Sicilian dog names
Sicily is the largest Mediterranean island. It can be found off the toe of Italy’s boot. Here are some Sicilian dog names for you to try.
- Alberico
- Alberto
- Alessandro
- Alessio
- Alfonso
- Alvise
- Amadeo
- Amato
- Ambrogio
- Amerigo
- Anacleto
- Anastasio
- Anatolio
- Arcangelo
- Arduino
- Armo
- Arnoldo
- Aroldo
- Arrigo
- Azzurra
- Benedetta
- Benigna
- Berengar
- Bernardino
- Bertoldo
- Bertrando
- Bice
- Bonfilia
- Bonifacio
- Brizio
- Callisto
- Celestino
- Celso
- Ciro
- Colombo
- Cosimo
- Crescenzo
- Damiano
- Melchiorre
- Malvolio
- Manfredo
- Manlio
- Marcello
- Maso
- Modesto
- Mose
- Nerio
Italian Dog names inspired by famous Italians
There’s no doubt your new puppy will hold a special place in your heart, so why not name them after some other notable Italians. Here are a few Italian dog names taken from famous Italians.
- Armani
- Caesar
- Cicero
- Fabio
- Ferrari
- Gabbana
- Galileo
- Lamborghini
- Leonardo
- Luigi
- Marco
- Mario
- Maserati
- Pavarotti
- Polo
- Valentino
- Versace
Italian dog names inspired by Italians in history
Maybe you’re looking for a more distinguished name for your pup. Try out some of these dog names inspired by famous Italians throughout history.
- Augustus
- Claudius
- Da Vinci
- Donatello
- Michelangelo
- Pavarotti
- Raphael
Dog names based on Italian cuisine
Italy is famous for its delectable cuisine. Pizza and Pasta are merely two of the incredible food dishes originating from this European country.
So why not name your pooch after some Italian Food?
- Agilata
- Agnolotti
- Arancini
- Asiago
- Biscotto
- Boreto
- Braciole
- Bresaola
- Bruschetta
- Budino
- Calzone
- Capocollo
- Caprese
- Caramello
- Carbonara
- Chitarra
- Ciabatta
- Ciriola
- Crostini
- Culatello
- Ditalini
- Espresso
- Farinata
- Focaccia
- Fonduta
- Fontina
- Fragunno
- Gelato
- Ghirardelli
- Ginestrata
- Gnocchi
- Lasagna
- Latte
- Linguine
- Macaroni
- Maccu
- Margherita
- Marinara
- Meatball
- Minestrone
- Mozzarella
- Noodle
- Nutella
- Olive
- Oro
- Orzo
- Pancetta
- Pandoro
- Panino
- Penia
- Penne
- Pepperoni
- Pesto
- Piadina
- Pisello
- Pita
- Prosciutto
- Ragù
- Ravioli
- Rigatoni
- Risotto
- Rosetta
- Salame
- Sausage
- Spaghetti
- Taralli
- Tiramisu
- Tortellini
- Uffizi
- Vermicelli
- Vino
- Vitello
- Zuppa
Don’t Miss: Best Food Names for Dogs
Other Italian Dog Names
Didn’t find an Italian name for your pooch on the lists above? Don’t worry! We still have several Italian names you can choose from.
Cute Italian dog names
No matter what breed your dog is, they are undoubtedly cute. Here are some adorable names to suit your little fur baby.
- Adamo
- Adolfo
- Adone
- Affonso
- Agapeto
- Agata
- Alba
- Alberta
- Alessia
- Allegra
- Arturo
- Aurelio
- Baldovino
- Basilio
- Benedetto
- Benigno
- Emiliana
- Erminia
- Ernesta
- Fabrzia
- Feliza
- Fina
- Fiorella
- Luciana
- Lucrezia
- Ludovica
- Malvolia
- Nilda
- Noelia
- Noemi
- Orabella
- Ornella
Cool Italian dog names
Not only are there plenty of cute Italian dog names, but there are also some cool ones. Your pup is sure to have the coolest name in the park if you choose one of these options.
- Adona
- Andreina
- Angiola
- Fiorenza
- Fulvia
- Geltrude
- Gemma
- Giacinta
- Giada
- Gina
- Giorgia
- Leandro
- Leone
- Nico
- Orfeo
- Ravenna
- Renata
- Roberta
- Romhilda
Funny Italian dog names
If you’re looking for a dog name to make you laugh, try one of these funny Italy-inspired names.
- Barbagelata
- Bellagamba
- Calvina
- Denaro
- Finocchio
- Mamma Mia
- Pelagatti
- Porcius
- Porsche
- Portia
- Presto
- Scampi
- Snooki
- Squarcialup
- Tempo
- Torregrossa
- Vespa
Don’t miss: The Best Funny Names for your Dog
What Italian dog name should you go for?
Whether you’ve adopted an Italian dog breed, love the Italian language, or even have your Italian heritage, you can’t go wrong with using it as inspiration.
Once you’ve chosen the perfect name for your pup, pick a dog training method, find the right dog food and enjoy your new furry family member.
Leave a comment below and tell us what Italian dog names are your favorites.
Further Reading: Other Cool Dog Name Inspirations
Cess is the Head of Content Writing at K9 Web and a passionate dog care expert with over 5 years of experience in the Pet Industry. With a background in animal science, dog training, and behavior consulting, her hands-on experience and extensive knowledge make her a trusted source for dog owners.
When not writing or leading the K9 Web content team, Cess can be found volunteering at local shelters and participating in dog-related events.