Infamous for their magical connections and not so magical reputations, black cats have grown into a beloved choice for cat lovers. However, the most common black cat names are often rudimentary or too on the nose for most pet parents. So, if you're tired of people suggesting you name your black kitten midnight, take a look at this myriad of typical and atypical names perfect for your playful panther.
Traditional Black Cat Names
You may have heard these names before, but even the most traditional names can be perfect for certain cats.
A-C
- Abracadabra
- Ace
- Alacazam
- Anvil
- Ash
- Ashes
- Ashley
- Asher
- Ashton
- Bewitched
- Bewitching
- Black Bart
- Black Beard
- Blackie
- Black Jack
- Black Magic
- Blackout
- Black Top
- Blindspot
- Cameo
- Carbon
- Charcoal
- Cinders
- Coal
- Coal Dust
- Conjurer
- Crypt
D-K
- Deadzone
- Death
- Diablo
- Dirtball
- Dreamer
- Dust
- Ebony
- Eclipse
- Eight Ball
- Enigma
- Fate
- Grimalkin
- Immortal
- Ink
- Inky
- Ink Spot
- Inkwell
- Jet
- Kohl
L-P
- Magic
- Menace
- Midnight
- Midnight Runner
- Moonlight
- Moon Shadow
- Morning Glory
- Mystery
- Mystic
- Mystique
- Necromancer
- Nevermore
- Nightmare
- Nightshade
- Night Sky
- Ninja
- Omen
- Phantom
- Pitch
R-Z
- Shade
- Shadow
- Shady Lady
- Silhouette
- Smoke
- Smoky
- Smudge
- Soot
- Spade
- Spot
- Spellbound
- Spooky
- Storm
- Superstition
- Tarmac
- Wizard
Names From the Natural World
Or, try these names from the natural world for your beloved pet.
- Blackbird
- Black Orchid
- Black Widow
- Black Eyed Susan
- Crow
- Friesian (black horse breed)
- Obsidian
- Onyx
- Orca
- Panther
- Raven
- Schorl (black tourmaline crystal)
- Tautog (type of blackfish)
- Vulture
Food and Drink Cat Names
Black foods and drinks are perfect names for black cats.
- Anise
- Blackberry
- Darjeeling (black tea)
- Espresso
- Fig
- Johnnie Walker
- Kahlúa
- Lapsang Souchong (black tea)
- Licorice
- Olive
- Pepper
Mythic Names
You can also get great names for your black fur baby from mythology.
- Hades (God of the Underworld)
- Hecate
- Hel (Norse Goddess of the dead)
- Persephone (Queen of the Underworld)
- Pluto (God of the Underworld)
- Styx (Mythic river from the world of the living to the underworld)
Black Cat Names From Other Languages
Love the sound of different languages rolling off your tongue? Your black cat may, too! Try these beautiful names from different languages.
- Ahumada/Ahumado (Spanish meaning "smoky")
- Aumoe (Hawaiian meaning "midnight")
- Batubara (Sudanese meaning "coal")
- Clair de Lune (French meaning "moonlight")
- Corvo (Italian meaning "raven")
- Doce de la Noche (Spanish meaning "midnight")
- Eleʻele (Hawaiian meaning "black")
- Fantoom (Afrikaans meaning "phantom")
- Fuligem (Portuguese meaning "soot")
- Fumuriu (Romanian meaning "smoky")
- Habeen (Somali meaning "night")
- Hiili (Finnish meaning "coal")
- Karasu (Japanese meaning "raven")
- Kedarra (Basque meaning "soot")
- Komir (Kurdish meaning "coal")
- Kopi (Malay meaning "coffee")
- Layla (Arabic meaning "night")
- Le Chat Noir (French meaning "the black cat")
- Luz de la Luna (Spanish meaning "moonlight")
- Magie (French meaning "magic")
- Masizi (Swahili meaning "soot")
- Mesánychta (Greek meaning "midnight")
- Mezzanote (Italian meaning "midnight")
- Mitternacht (German meaning "midnight")
- Moemiti (Samoan meaning "dreamer")
- Mystère (French meaning "mystery")
- Nacht (German meaning "night")
- Natt (Swedish meaning "night")
- Noche (Spanish meaning "night")
- Noctis (Latin meaning "night")
- Noir (French meaning "black")
- Oluja (Bosnian meaning "storm")
- Ombra (Italian meaning "shadow")
- Pepe (Italian meaning "pepper")
- Pfeffer (German meaning "pepper")
- Pipar (Estonian meaning "pepper")
- Poivre (French meaning "pepper")
- Polnoch (Russian meaning "midnight")
- Raaf (Afrikaans meaning "raven")
- Shabah (Arabic meaning "phantom")
- Skugga (Swedish meaning "shadow")
- Sombra (Portuguese meaning "shadow")
- Swart (Afrikaans meaning "black")
- Tempestas (Latin meaning "storm")
- Tenebris (Latin meaning "darkness")
- Umbra (Latin meaning "shadow")
- Yoru (Japanese meaning "night")
Ironic Black Cat Names
For those of you who like to buck the trends and overlook the obvious, here are some ironic names which could be suitable for your black cat since they all mean or represent something white, bright, or the opposite of black. Perfect for people with a wry sense of humor, check out these ironic black cat names.
- Alba
- Avalanche
- Bianca
- Blanche
- Blizzard
- Blondie
- Chrysanthemum
- Cream Puff
- Crystal
- Cue Ball
- Diamond
- Flash
- Fluffy
- Frosty
- Ghost
- Ice
- Icicle
- Salty
- Snowman
- Snowflake
- Sparkle
- Sunny
- Sunshine
- Vanilla
Names Drawn From Pop Culture and History
Past, present, and future, pop culture, history, music, and literature all offer some great inspiration for your petit chat noir (little black cat).
- Batman
- Black Beauty
- Bucephalus (Alexander the Great's black horse)
- Darth Vader
- Dracula
- Edgar Allan
- Hocus Pocus
- Kitt (black talking car from Night Rider)
- Lestat (vampire from Anne Rice Novel)
- Morticia (Morticia Addams from The Addams Family)
- Night Rider
- Odile (Black Swan in Swan Lake)
- Poe
- Pyewacket (Canadian horror movie)
- Vlad (Vlad the Impaler)
- Zorro
Famous Black Cats
Some are these famous black cats are real while others are characters from television, film, and animation. No matter which medium they came from, all of these frisky feline names would do your own kitty justice.
- Binx - This immortal cat from the movie Hocus Pocus is actually a young man who was turned into a cat by three witches.
- Blackie - Although the name's not very original, the story is quite interesting. Blackie's owner was a wealthy antique dealer who left approximately $12.5 million to his beloved cat to be used for his care.
- Boo Boo Kitty - Boo Boo Kitty may have just been a stuffed animal, but he brought comfort to his owner Shirley in the TV sitcom Laverne & Shirley.
- Cole - If you frequent Instagram, you probably already know of Cole and his cat Marmalade. These two felines help promote pet adoptions.
- Felix the Cat - This cartoon kitty always seems to find himself in all sorts of crazy situations.
- Luna - This anime feline with a crescent moon on her forehead is the guardian cat from the Sailor Moon series.
- Salem - This is the troublemaking cat from the TV show Sabrina the Teenage Witch. Salem was a warlock who was turned into a cat as punishment for his naughty ways.
- Snowball II - From the long-running show, The Simpsons, this cat inherited its ill-fitting name from the original family pet who was white. There have been additional Snowballs on the show over the years with Snowball V billed as "the new and improved Snowball II"- at least until its luck runs out.
- Pluto - Fans of Edgar Allan Poe will recognize this unfortunate feline who gets revenge from the afterlife in the author's story The Black Cat.
Choosing the Perfect Name for Black Baby Kittens
While you can name your beautiful black cat anything you want to, sometimes it's fun to wait until you've got a feeling for your cat's personality to grant them a highly personalized moniker. In the case of black cats, your kitty's dark fur usually serves as the first inspiration. However, once you get beyond your cat's color, you can begin thinking about its personality and use that to guide your choices to make sure that you pick the right name for your feline friend.
