There are a lot of versions of how the Hoagie got its name. According to one version, the term hoagie was created by sandwich-shop owner Al De Palma. He called his submarine sandwiches “ hoggies” because you “had to be a hog” to eat a sandwich that big. Then through time “ hoggies” became “hoagies”. So “hoagie” is just a regional term for an Italian sub sandwich.