Black cat names: 150+ ideas that suit a black cat's whole personality

Black cats are a category of their own. They photograph differently. They behave differently — there’s solid behavioral research showing black cats are calmer and more sociable than the average cat, possibly because the gene for black coat color is linked to the same regulatory pathway that affects temperament. They are, statistically, the friendliest cats in the shelter, despite being the slowest to be adopted, which is one of the small ongoing tragedies of cat ownership.

A black cat deserves a name that lives up to the cat. This is a long list, organized by mood, with notes on which kinds of black cats each set tends to suit best.

The mythological set

Black cats and mythology pair naturally — most cultures have at least one dark deity, often associated with night, the moon, or the underworld, and the names age beautifully.

Egyptian: Bastet (the cat goddess herself), Anubis (god of the afterlife, jackal-headed), Osiris (god of the underworld), Sekhmet (lioness goddess of war), Nephthys (goddess of the dead). Of these, Bastet works for any cat; Anubis suits a slightly mysterious one; Sekhmet is for a black cat with strong opinions.

Greek and Roman: Nyx (goddess of night), Erebus (god of darkness), Hades (god of the underworld), Hecate (goddess of magic and the moon), Persephone (queen of the underworld), Hermes (the trickster), Apollo (ironically — black cat with a sun god’s name). Persephone shortens to Persy; Hecate stays as Hec or Cate.

Norse: Loki (the trickster, currently having a moment), Hel (goddess of the dead — yes, the underworld is named after her), Skadi (winter goddess), Odin (one-eyed god), Freya (goddess of love and war who rode a chariot pulled by two cats), Hugin and Munin (Odin’s two ravens — works beautifully for a pair of black cats).

Hindu: Kali (goddess of time and destruction), Shiva (god of destruction and rebirth), Krishna (the dark blue god). Kali in particular is short, sharp, and striking.

The space and astronomy set

Black cats and the night sky go together intuitively. Astronomy names suit black cats more naturally than almost any other coat color.

Luna (still the most popular cat name in the world), Nova, Cosmo, Comet, Eclipse, Stella, Sirius, Orion, Polaris, Vega, Andromeda, Nebula, Galaxy, Star, Astro, Lyra, Phoenix, Aurora. For a deep-black cat that catches light only in certain angles, Eclipse or Nebula land particularly well. For a cat with white markings against black, Nova (which means a star that suddenly brightens) is a quietly perfect choice.

We’ve got a full astronomy theme with origins and meanings.

The literary set

Black cats and literature have a long shared history — Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Black Cat,” Lewis Carroll’s Cheshire Cat (technically grey-and-pink, but black is fair game), the Cat in The Master and Margarita, the Bookkeeper’s cat in Murakami’s Kafka on the Shore, Crookshanks (also technically ginger, but the idea is right).

Names from this set: Edgar (after Poe), Cheshire, Behemoth (the cat from The Master and Margarita, who walks on hind legs and drinks vodka), Crookshanks, Mr. Mistoffelees (from Eliot’s Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats), Macavity (also from Eliot, the criminal cat), Salem (from Sabrina), Pluto (Poe’s actual black cat in the story, and also a god), Mephistopheles.

These names work best for cats whose owners read; they tend to age very well.

The witchy set

There’s no avoiding it: black cats have a centuries-deep association with witchcraft, and a lot of people lean into it. Done well, this set produces some of the strongest names available; done poorly, it produces names you’ll regret in five years.

The ones that age well: Salem (witch trial reference but no longer feels cliché), Hex, Raven, Storm, Onyx, Inky, Midnight (a classic), Shadow, Pitch, Spook, Boo, Spectre, Banshee, Phantom, Specter, Wraith, Mystic, Magick.

The ones that don’t age well: anything with the word “Witch” or “Black” in the name itself. Trust us on this.

The food set

Black cats and food names produce one of the most charming categories of all. The contrast between “this small black creature is a force of darkness” and “her name is Pepper” is genuinely funny, and the names work.

Pepper is the obvious one — overwhelmingly used for black cats in real pet registries. Beyond Pepper: Olive (especially for cats with black-and-green eyes), Espresso, Bean, Licorice, Truffle, Plum, Cocoa, Cola, Soy (short for soy sauce), Squid Ink, Brownie, Oreo (for cats with white markings against black), Tuxedo (same), Coal, Soot.

Pepper, Bean, Olive, and Cocoa all consistently pass the long-form test — you can call them across a room for fifteen years without losing your dignity.

The simple striking set

Sometimes the right name for a black cat is just a strong, evocative word with no source material attached.

Onyx, Jet (the stone), Obsidian, Coal, Sable, Ebony, Raven, Crow, Ink, Inky, Smoke, Soot, Shadow, Velvet, Midnight, Twilight, Dusk, Night, Noir, Nova, Mystic, Magic, Stormy.

These are common for a reason — they fit the visual immediately. If you want to do better than the most common ones, try Sable, Obsidian, or Noir.

Specific picks by black cat type

If you want a quick shortlist by the kind of black cat you have:

• Sleek, athletic black cat: Bastet, Anubis, Onyx, Sable, Loki
• Big floofy black cat (Maine Coon, longhair): Behemoth, Bear, Boris, Magnus, Velvet
• Mostly black with white markings (tuxedo): Oreo, Tuxedo, Pepper, Domino, Sketch
• Black kitten: Bean, Pepper, Boo, Inky, Nox
• Mature, dignified black cat: Edgar, Bastet, Phantom, Hecate, Sage
• Mischievous black cat: Loki, Hex, Bandit, Macavity, Trouble
• Affectionate black cat (the most common kind): Olive, Cleo, Pepper, Beans, Cocoa

Browse more by theme

If you want to keep exploring, the themed catalogs go deeper:

• Egyptian cat names — the foundational set for black cats
• Astronomy cat names — names from the night sky
• Literary cat names — from books worth reading
• Greek mythology cat names — the deepest source of all
• All themes — every collection we have

Or if you want to think about how to name rather than what to name, our guide on how to name a cat is the place to start.