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Black cat names: 190+ spooky, cute and clever ideas for cats and kittens

196 names · Updated · By The Nomezo Editors · Save to Pinterest

The best black cat names play on darkness, night or magic, like Onyx, Nyx and Salem. For a black kitten, small dark things like Inkdrop, Nibs and Pocket Panther are just as sweet, and an ironic pick like Lucky suits any glossy black coat.

Below are 190+ black cat names in eleven groups: classic, black kitten names, gemstones, words for black in other languages, night sky, spooky and witchy, myth and folklore, literary and famous black cats, male names, female names and funny names. Every name has a short note, with the meaning for real names and a pronunciation where it helps.

Can't decide? Shuffle 6 random picks

  • Dark Matter

    Mysterious, invisible and definitely in the room

  • Edgar

    Poe's first name, for a brooding, poetic tom

  • Ceridwen

    Welsh enchantress famous for her magic cauldron

  • Mandrake

    A plant of witch lore said to scream when pulled

  • Zwart

    Dutch for black; say ZVART

  • Licorice

    A sweet black candy for a sweet black cat

Cat name tools

Hear how a name sounds next to the words and names in your home, see how popular it is, and preview a pedigree name.

Sounds at home

  • About 2 syllables: short and easy to call.
  • No obvious clash with No, Off, Down, Stop, Come, Sit, Stay, Wait, Treat, Bed, Out, Here, Heel, Leave it or Shake.
  • Milo starts the same way as Mia. Two names that start or end alike are easy to mix up across a room.
  • Ends on a vowel, so it is easy to stretch out when you call from another room.

How popular is it?

  • No. 2 in U.S. News 2026
  • No. 2 in Trupanion 2025
  • No. 4 in Chewy 2026
  • Rover's top boy cat name of 2025

These lists are company data from pet insurers, Chewy and Rover, not official counts.

Pedigree name

Moonpaw Sir Pounce

Call name: Pounce

In the CFA, a cattery name identifies the breeder and the line; it must differ from every registered cattery name by at least two letters.

Want endless ideas? Try the cat name generator and generate new names in one click.

Classic black cat names

Dark, simple names that suit a glossy black coat and are easy to call at night.

  1. Midnight US #36: As dark and quiet as the small hours of the night
  2. Shadow US #9: For a black cat who follows you from room to room
  3. Inky: For a cat as glossy and dark as a fresh fountain pen
  4. Licorice: A sweet black candy for a sweet black cat
  5. Coal: Simple, dark and cozy, like a winter fire
  6. Soot: For a cat who looks like he slid down the chimney
  7. Cinder: A glowing little name for a warm-hearted cat
  8. Pepper US #28: For a black cat with a little spice in her step
  9. Smudge: For a black cat with one tiny smear of white
  10. Panther: For a sleek cat who stalks the living room
  11. Charcoal: Deep, smoky black with a hint of gray
  12. Velvet: For a black coat that is impossibly soft
  13. Jaguar: Every black panther is really a black jaguar or leopard
  14. Espresso: Dark, strong and full of energy
  15. Kalamata: A glossy, deep purple Greek olive for a glossy dark cat
  16. Cola: Dark and bubbly, for a black cat with sparkle
  17. Molasses: Dark, sweet and in no hurry at all
  18. Black Bean: For a tiny, round black kitten
  19. Bombay: A black cat breed developed to look like a mini panther
  20. Mystery: For a black cat whose thoughts no one can read

Black kitten names

Tiny, sweet names for a black kitten, many of them small dark things that suit a pocket-sized cat.

  1. Pocket Panther: A tiny big cat who fits in the palm of your hand
  2. Tiny Void: The internet's word for a black cat, in travel size
  3. Inkdrop: One small, perfect drop from a fountain pen
  4. Soot Sprite: Like the little dust creatures of My Neighbor Totoro
  5. Nibs: Like bits of cacao: small, dark and secretly sweet
  6. Beetle: Glossy, black and always scuttling under the bed
  7. Comma: A tiny dark mark that makes everyone pause and smile
  8. Speck: So small and dark she could hide in a slipper
  9. Piano Key: One of the black ones: small, but full of music
  10. Little Bat: Big ears, tiny body and wide awake at night
  11. Cocoa Puff: A round little ball of breakfast-time energy
  12. Kuroko: Kabuki stagehands dress all in black so the audience ignores them
  13. Kuro-chan: Japanese for little black one, a cute pet name
  14. Ink Cap: A lawn mushroom that melts into black ink once used for writing
  15. Chia Seed: Tiny, dark and full of surprising energy
  16. Spooklet: A pint-sized spook for a first Halloween
  17. Witchling: A witch's apprentice, for a kitten learning her first spells
  18. Tiny Thundercloud: A small dark storm with a big, rumbly purr
  19. Shadowling: A little shade for a kitten who is always underfoot
  20. Kitten Noir: A pint-sized star of a black-and-white detective movie
  21. Coal Crumb: A tiny broken-off bit of the cozy winter fire
  22. Lump of Coal: The best stocking surprise you ever got

Black gemstone and material names

Glossy stones, dark woods and inks for a cat whose coat shines in the light.

  1. Onyx US #43: A glossy black gemstone for a glossy black coat
  2. Jet: A polished black gem made from fossilized wood
  3. Obsidian: Natural black volcanic glass, sleek and sharp
  4. Ebony: A dense, dark hardwood used for piano keys
  5. Sable: The heraldry term for black, and a luxurious fur
  6. Tourmaline: The black form is a gem said to bring protection
  7. Hematite: A shiny, metallic gray-black mineral
  8. Basalt: A dark volcanic rock, solid and dependable
  9. Anthracite: The hardest, shiniest kind of coal
  10. Caviar: Glossy black and very fancy, for a cat with expensive taste
  11. Black Pearl: A dark gem grown in black-lip oysters around Tahiti
  12. Squid Ink: For a cat who vanishes into dark corners
  13. Sumi: Japanese ink used for calligraphy and brush painting
  14. Lacquer: A mirror-glossy finish, like black Japanese lacquerware

Words for black in other languages

Black and dark in languages from Irish to Japanese. Short ones make great everyday names.

  1. Noir: French for black, with a moody detective-movie feel
  2. Nero: Italian for black; say NEH-ro
  3. Kuro: Japanese for black; short and sharp
  4. Schwarz: German for black; say SHVARTS
  5. Zwart: Dutch for black; say ZVART
  6. Dubh: Irish Gaelic for black; say DOOV
  7. Kara: Turkish for black, and a pretty name too
  8. Hei: Mandarin Chinese for black; say HAY
  9. Svart: Swedish and Norwegian for black
  10. Musta: Finnish for black; say MOOS-tah
  11. Mavros: Modern Greek for black; say MAHV-ros
  12. Fekete: Hungarian for black; say FEH-keh-teh
  13. Melas: Ancient Greek for black, the root of melanin
  14. Ater: Latin for dull, matte black
  15. Dunkel: German for dark, for a moody, mysterious cat
  16. Oscuro: Spanish for dark; say os-KOO-ro

Night sky names for black cats

Goddesses of night, moon phases and deep space for a cat as dark as the sky.

  1. Nyx: Greek goddess of the night
  2. Nox: Roman goddess of the night, short and sharp
  3. Erebus: Greek god of primordial darkness
  4. Dusk: For a cat who wakes up just as the sun goes down
  5. Eclipse: For a black cat who blocks the light from every window
  6. Nebula: A cloud of dust and gas where stars are born
  7. New Moon: The darkest night of the lunar month
  8. Nightfall: For a cat who comes alive after sunset
  9. Vesper: Latin for evening, and the evening star
  10. Umbra: Latin for shadow, and the darkest part of an eclipse
  11. Penumbra: The lighter outer shadow, for a cat with smoky edges
  12. Nocturne: A dreamy piece of night music
  13. Black Hole: For a cat who swallows every treat in sight
  14. Galaxy: For a black cat with a coat full of tiny sparkles
  15. Cosmos: The whole dark, glittering universe
  16. Twilight: The soft, dim hour between day and night
  17. Starless: For a deep, dark coat without a single white hair
  18. Night Owl: For a cat who is busiest at 2 a.m.

Spooky and witchy black cat names

Halloween favorites for a cat who looks right at home next to a cauldron.

  1. Salem US #26: A famous witch-trial town, and the talking black cat of Sabrina the Teenage Witch
  2. Hex: A witch's spell in one short syllable
  3. Jinx: For a cat who laughs at bad-luck superstitions
  4. Spooky: For a cat who stares at empty corners
  5. Omen: A sign of things to come, good ones we hope
  6. Potion: For a cat who stirs up trouble wherever she goes
  7. Cauldron: For a cat who loves warm, bubbling spots
  8. Broomstick: The witch's ride, for a cat with the zoomies
  9. Banshee: A wailing spirit of Irish folklore, for a loud cat
  10. Specter: A ghostly name for a cat who glides past without a sound
  11. Phantom: For a cat who vanishes the moment the carrier comes out
  12. Grimoire: A witch's book of spells
  13. Mandrake: A plant of witch lore said to scream when pulled
  14. Belladonna: Italian for beautiful lady, and a famous witch's herb
  15. Nosferatu: The shadowy vampire of the 1922 silent film
  16. Dracula: Bram Stoker's count, for a cat who sleeps all day
  17. Rune: A letter of the old Germanic alphabets, used in magic lore
  18. Boo US #57: Short, sweet and perfect for Halloween
  19. Batty: For a cat who hangs around in dark corners
  20. Wraith: A ghostly figure, for a silent, gliding cat

Black cat names from myth and folklore

Dark gods, ravens and folklore creatures from Celtic, Norse, Greek, Egyptian, Slavic, English and Japanese tradition.

  1. Cat Sith: A Highland fairy creature: all black, with a white spot on its chest
  2. Hecate: Greek goddess of witchcraft, magic and crossroads
  3. Morrigan: Irish goddess of fate and battle, linked with crows
  4. Bran: Welsh and Irish for raven
  5. Huginn: One of Odin's two ravens; the name means thought
  6. Muninn: Odin's other raven; the name means memory
  7. Kuroneko: Japanese for black cat, a symbol of good luck in Japan
  8. Anubis: Egyptian guardian of graves and guide of the dead, painted black for rebirth
  9. Hades: Greek god of the underworld, for a cat who lives under the bed
  10. Persephone: Queen of the underworld for part of every year
  11. Styx: The dark river of the Greek underworld, sworn on by the gods
  12. Charon: The ferryman of the Greek underworld; say KAIR-on
  13. Cerberus: The underworld's three-headed guard dog, for a fierce cat
  14. Black Shuck: A ghostly black dog of English folklore, for a cat with attitude
  15. Ceridwen: Welsh enchantress famous for her magic cauldron
  16. Baba Yaga: The wild forest witch of Slavic folktales

Literary and famous black cat names

Poe, Kipling, film and TV favorites, and a few real black cats who lived in famous homes.

  1. Pluto: The black cat in Edgar Allan Poe's 1843 tale
  2. Poe: Honors the author of the eerie story The Black Cat
  3. Edgar: Poe's first name, for a brooding, poetic tom
  4. Lenore: The lost love mourned in Poe's poem The Raven
  5. Nevermore: The raven's one-word reply in Poe's famous poem
  6. Behemoth: The huge, mischievous black cat in The Master and Margarita
  7. Bambino: Mark Twain's black cat, star of a 1905 lost-cat ad
  8. Bagheera: Kipling's wise black panther in The Jungle Book
  9. India: George W. Bush's black cat in the White House
  10. Usher: From Poe's gloomiest tale of a crumbling family mansion
  11. Annabel Lee: The beloved of Poe's last complete poem
  12. Hyde: For a sweet cat with a wild midnight alter ego
  13. Ichabod: The nervous schoolmaster of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
  14. Rochester: The dark, brooding hero of Jane Eyre
  15. Binx US #24: Thackery Binx, the boy turned into a black cat in Hocus Pocus (1993)
  16. Jiji: The witty black cat of Kiki's Delivery Service
  17. Cosmic Creepers: The black cat of Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971)
  18. Snowball: Snowball II of The Simpsons, an ironic name for a black cat

Black cat names for males

Boy names that mean dark or raven, plus a few cool, shadowy picks for a black tom.

  1. Dougal: Scottish Gaelic for dark stranger
  2. Douglas: Gaelic for dark river or stream
  3. Blake: Old English for dark, or oddly, pale
  4. Corbin: From Old French for raven
  5. Duff: From Gaelic dubh, meaning dark
  6. Kieran: Irish for little dark one
  7. Bram: The Dracula author's first name, short for Abraham
  8. Knight: For a gallant, mysterious tom in dark armor
  9. Ninja: For a silent cat who appears out of nowhere
  10. Morpheus: Greek god of dreams, for a cat who loves naps
  11. Gotham: Washington Irving's old nickname for New York
  12. Rook: A black member of the crow family, and a chess piece
  13. Spade: One of the two black suits in a deck of cards
  14. Bogart: For a cool cat with film-noir charm
  15. Ozzy US #77: For a cat who rules the night like a rock legend
  16. Ebon: An old poetic word for black or dark

Black cat names for females

Girl names that mean night or darkness, plus enchantresses and dark beauties from myth and ballet.

  1. Raven: A glossy black bird, clever and mysterious
  2. Ciara: Irish for dark-haired or dark; say KEER-ah
  3. Melanie: From Greek melaina, meaning black or dark
  4. Layla: Arabic for night, for a dreamy after-dark cat
  5. Morgana: The enchantress Morgan le Fay of Arthurian legend
  6. Odile: The black swan of Swan Lake
  7. Pandora: The first woman of Greek myth, who opened the jar of troubles
  8. Medusa: The snake-haired Gorgon whose stare turned people to stone
  9. Circe: The enchantress of the Odyssey who turned men into pigs
  10. Ravenna: An Italian city with a dark, bird-like ring
  11. Nightingale: A bird famous for singing in the night
  12. Melantha: A 1670s blend of Mel- and Greek anthos, flower; often read as dark flower
  13. Yoru: Japanese for night; say YOH-roo
  14. Nuit: French for night; say NWEE
  15. Mora: Spanish for blackberry, sweet and dark
  16. Cassis: French for blackcurrant; say kah-SEES
  17. Minerva: Roman goddess of wisdom, often shown with an owl
  18. Blackberry: Dark, sweet and a little bit wild

Funny black cat names

Puns and inside jokes for black cats, including the internet's favorite nicknames for them.

  1. Edgar Allan Paw: For a brooding black cat with a poetic soul
  2. Void: Internet slang for a black cat that seems to absorb light
  3. House Panther: The internet's favorite nickname for a black cat
  4. Dark Matter: Mysterious, invisible and definitely in the room
  5. Blackout: For a cat you cannot find when the lights go off
  6. Grim Purrper: For a cat who stalks toy mice with deadly focus
  7. Ink Blot: For a cat who leaves a dark spot on every cushion
  8. Mewnight: A meowing pun on the darkest hour
  9. Count Furcula: A fanged, caped pun for a black cat who prowls at night
  10. Johnny Catsh: For a cat who only ever dresses in black
  11. Tuxless: A tuxedo cat who forgot to wear the white shirt
  12. Black Magic: For a cat who makes your dinner disappear
  13. Lucky US #35: A cheeky answer to old black cat superstitions
  14. Thirteen: The unluckiest number, for the luckiest cat
  15. Friday: For a cat born on the thirteenth, or wishing it
  16. Stealth Mode: For a cat who is somehow always behind you
  17. Shadow Boxer: For a kitten who picks fights with things nobody else can see
  18. Night Shift: For a cat who works hardest while you sleep

How to pick the right name

Lean into the superstition, or laugh at it

Spooky names like Hex and Omen embrace the witchy reputation. Lucky and Thirteen turn the old superstition into a joke your cat will never understand.

Think about the shine

Some black cats are glossy, some are matte, and many show rusty brown tones in the sun. Onyx, Velvet and Charcoal each fit a different kind of black.

Keep it easy to call in the dark

A black cat is hard to spot at night, so you will call her name a lot. One or two crisp syllables, like Nyx or Kuro, carry best.

Black cat names: 196 ideas from Nomezo

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Black cat names: the popular ones, the coat, the luck and the shelter question

By The Nomezo Editors · Updated October 25, 2026 · How we research names

Black-cat names are among the most popular cat names in America: Shadow is No. 9 in the U.S. News 2026 list, and Binx, Salem, Pepper, Lucky, Midnight and Onyx are all in the top 50. The tag beside a name shows its rank when it is in that top 100.

Cats learn their own name and the names of the other cats at home, so pick one that sounds clearly different from your other pets. The tools above check that, show how popular a name is, and preview a pedigree name with its everyday call name.

  1. Step 1Pick a styleClassic, spooky, mythic or a pun: the sections above are sorted that way.
  2. Step 2Check the soundNyx and Nix, Kuro and Coco: make sure it stands apart at home.
  3. Step 3See how common it isShadow and Salem are everywhere; Kalamata is not.
  4. Step 4Plan for the sunBlack coats can rust to brown, so a name like Onyx may get ironic.

The most popular black cat names

  • Some are baby names now. Onyx went from 21 US baby boys in 2000 to 881 in 2025 (No. 365), Salem was No. 436 for girls and Layla No. 36 (Social Security data).
Black cat names in the U.S. News 2026 top 100
NameRank
Shadow#9
Binx#24
Salem#26
Pepper#28
Lucky#35
Midnight#36
Onyx#43
Boo#57
Ozzy#77

Source: U.S. News 2026, based on pet-insurance records; company data, not an official count. Luna, No. 1, is on our cat names page.

The black coat: rust, ghost stripes and breeds

  • Black cats can turn brown. Sunlight can fade the fragile black pigment, eumelanin, to a brownish red, called rust, and faint stripes can show on a solid black coat in some light (Wikipedia).
  • 22 breeds can be black. The Cat Fanciers' Association recognizes 22 breeds that can have a solid black coat; only the Bombay is always black (Wikipedia).
  • The Bombay was bred by Nikki Horner of Louisville, Kentucky, from sable Burmese and black American Shorthairs to look like "a miniature black panther"; the CFA recognized it in 1970 (Wikipedia).
  • A black panther is a black leopard or jaguar, not a separate species (Wikipedia).

Lucky or unlucky?

Black cat superstitions by place
WhereWhat a black cat means
England and the Celtic nationsGood luck when one crosses your path
ScotlandProsperity when one arrives at a new home
JapanGood luck
Much of Europe, historicallyBad luck

Source: Wikipedia, Black cat. Black Cat Day is October 27 in the UK, and Black Cat Appreciation Day is August 17 in the US.

Are black cats adopted less?

The evidence is mixed. In one urban US shelter, black cats had the lowest adoption rate (10.0%) and the highest euthanasia rate (74.6%) of any coat color, and October was no better than other months; the authors call this "weak support" for black cat bias (Carini, Sinski and Weber, Animals, 2020). One shelter is not every shelter, but if you are adopting, the black cat in the corner may have waited longest.

What cats can hear in a name

Cats tell their own name from other words

In four experiments with 16 to 34 cats each, cats heard four words and then their own name. Most stopped reacting to the words and reacted again to their name, even when a stranger said it. The reactions were small: ears and heads moved, but fewer than 10% of the cats meowed, moved their tail or got up. Cats living in cat cafés could not tell their name from their housemates' names.

Saito et al. 2019

Cats learn the other cats' names too

Household cats looked longer at a screen when a housemate cat's photo came with the wrong name, as if they expected another face. A second experiment found the same with family members' names. Café cats showed no such effect, and the first experiment used 48 cats, so the result needs repeating.

Takagi et al. 2022

Sources

Frequently asked questions

What is a good name for a black cat?

Shadow, Salem, Pepper, Midnight and Onyx all make the U.S. News 2026 list of the 50 most popular cat names. Gemstone, night and spooky names suit a black coat too, and ironic picks like Lucky (No. 35) are popular.

What are good male black cat names?

Corbin, Dougal, Kieran and Blake all have dark or raven meanings. For a mythic feel try Morpheus or Bran, and for a laugh try Johnny Catsh.

What are good female black cat names?

Raven, Layla, Melanie and Ciara all relate to night or darkness. Odile, the black swan of Swan Lake, and Nyx, the Greek goddess of night, are elegant choices.

Are black cats lucky or unlucky?

It depends on where you live. In Britain, Ireland and Japan black cats are often seen as lucky, while old European and American superstitions cast them as bad luck.

What should I name my black kitten?

Small, sweet names suit a black kitten: Inkdrop, Pocket Panther, Soot Sprite and Nibs all fit a tiny dark furball. Pick one that will still feel right when she is a grown cat.

Why is my black cat turning brown?

Usually the sun. The black pigment in a cat's coat is fragile, and sunlight can fade it to a rusty brownish red. Cats that spend a lot of time outdoors or in sunny windows show it most.

Which cat breeds are black?

The Cat Fanciers' Association recognizes 22 breeds that can come in solid black, including the American Shorthair and the Persian. Only one, the Bombay, is always black.

When is Black Cat Day?

October 27 in the UK, where Cats Protection calls it Black Cat Day. In the US, Black Cat Appreciation Day is August 17.

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