These black pet names come in six kinds: night and sky, black foods, black stones and metals, shadows and soot, black birds and beasts, and gentle jokes. Each has a line on what it is or why it fits.
Read the full guide
Pick the kind of name
After a press, the list under the button narrows the draw to one kind. Black stones, metals and wood gives Onyx, Obsidian and Jet, the gemstone behind the phrase jet-black. Black foods gives Licorice, Espresso and Kalamata, a dark purple olive. Night and sky gives Midnight, Gloaming and Umbra, the darkest part of a shadow.
A name for a black pet with white on it
Tuxedo is for a white shirt front, Domino for a few white dots, and Pearl works because the Tahitian pearl is also called the black pearl. For a pet that is black all over, Spot is the joke: one spot, and it covers the whole animal.
Questions and answers
What are good names for black pets?
The classics are Midnight, Shadow, Onyx, Raven, Coal and Licorice. For something less common, try Umbra, the darkest part of a shadow, Sable, the word for black on a coat of arms, or Carbonado, the black diamond.
What is a funny name for a black pet?
Name it for the opposite, such as Snowball, Blizzard or Vanilla. Or name it for what living with one is like: Lens Cap, because every photo looks as if you left it on, Dark Mode, Photocopy for the second black pet, or Flashlight.
What is a good name for a black cat?
Bombay is a breed of cat that is solid black, and Panther fits because a black panther is a leopard or a jaguar with a black coat. Void is what cat people call a black cat who vanishes in a dim room.
What is a good name for a black dog?
Shadow fits a dog who follows you from room to room. Anthracite, Basalt and Obsidian, the volcanic glass made when lava cools fast, sit well on a big dog. Boba, Fig and Ink Dot suit a small one.
Black HoleGravity so strong that nothing, light included, escapes. Also where the socks went.
CurfewHome by dark, because after dark nobody can find them.
Dark MatterInvisible material that astronomers know only by its pull.
Dark SkyWhat stargazers drive out of town to find.
DarklingA word that means in the dark, as in Shakespeare's King Lear.
DuskWhen the day turns the color of this coat.
EvenfallA poetic word for dusk, when evening falls.
EventideA poetic word for evening.
Far SideThe side of the moon that never faces us.
GloamingA word for twilight, most often the kind at dusk.
Late ShowOn after everyone should be asleep.
LaylaA given name from the Arabic word for night.
MidnightThe darkest hour on the clock, and the classic for a black coat.
MoonsetWhen even the moon has gone down.
Night FerryDark, quiet and crossing the bed at 2 a.m.
Night WatchFor the pet who patrols the hallway while you sleep.
NightjarA bird that flies at dusk and through the night.
NocturneMusic written to call up the night.
NoxThe Roman name for Nyx, the goddess of the night.
NyxThe goddess of the night in Greek mythology.
Polar NightA night that lasts more than a full day, inside the polar circles.
StarlessA night with no stars out: one color, all the way across.
SundownThe moment the black pet becomes the invisible pet.
Third WatchThe part of the night when only the pet is awake.
Total EclipseThe minutes when the moon covers the sun and day goes dark.
TwilightThe last light before the dark your pet already wears.
Two in the MorningThe hour of the gallop down the hall.
UmbraThe innermost, darkest part of a shadow, as in an eclipse.
Witching HourMidnight, in old stories, and the hour a black cat wakes up.
Black foods 30
AmericanoAn espresso with hot water added.
BalsamicA dark, concentrated vinegar that began in Emilia-Romagna, in Italy.
Black BeanThe black turtle bean is a small, shiny bean, native to the Americas.
Black GarlicGarlic aged until the cloves turn black.
Black TrumpetAn edible wild mushroom, also called the horn of plenty.
Black WalnutA North American tree with deep brown wood, grown for lumber and for its nuts.
BlackcurrantThe small, dark berry of the shrub Ribes nigrum.
BlackstrapBoil the sugar syrup a third time and what is left is blackstrap molasses.
BobaThe chewy tapioca balls in a bubble tea.
CocoaThe cocoa bean is the dried, fermented seed that chocolate is made from.
CoffeeA drink brewed from roasted beans, dark-colored and bitter.
ColaA carbonated soft drink, dark caramel in the glass.
EggplantA fruit most commonly purple, and so dark it passes for black.
EspressoStrong coffee made by forcing hot water through fine grounds under pressure.
FigThe Mission fig is also sold as the Black Mission.
Forbidden RiceAnother name for black rice.
GanacheA glaze or filling made from chocolate and cream.
HoisinA dark sauce of Cantonese cooking, sweet and salty.
KalamataA large, dark purple olive named after a city in Greece.
LicoriceA candy flavored and colored black with the root of the licorice plant.
MochaNamed for Mokha, the port in Yemen that was once a great coffee market.
MolassesThe thick syrup left over when sugarcane is refined into sugar.
NoriThe dried seaweed sheet that wraps a sushi roll.
PepperBlack pepper is the dried fruit, the peppercorn, of a flowering vine.
PruneA dried plum, and about as dark as fruit gets.
RistrettoA short, more concentrated shot of espresso.
SalmiakSalty licorice, a common candy in the Nordic countries.
SoyShort for soy sauce, the condiment made from fermented soybeans.
TapenadeA spread of finely chopped olives and capers from Provence.
TreacleBlack treacle is the dark British syrup that is close to molasses.
Black stones, metals and wood 17
AnthraciteA hard, compact coal with a near-metallic shine.
BasaltA fine-grained rock formed from cooled lava.
CarbonThe element of graphite, and of diamond too.
CarbonadoThe black diamond, one of the toughest forms of natural diamond.
CoalA black rock that burns.
EbonyA dense black hardwood; some kinds are dense enough to sink in water.
GraphiteThe form of carbon in a pencil lead.
HematiteAn iron oxide that can be black, steel gray or red.
JetA gemstone that began as wood; the phrase jet-black comes from it.
LodestoneMagnetite that is a natural magnet, the needle of the earliest compasses.
MagnetiteAn iron ore that is attracted to a magnet, black in the hand.
NielloA black inlay that metalworkers set into engraved silver.
ObsidianVolcanic glass, made when lava cools fast.
OnyxA banded stone; the best-known kind is a black and white variety of agate.
PearlThe Tahitian pearl, from the black-lip oyster, is also called the black pearl.
TektiteNatural glass thrown up by a meteorite impact, often black.
Wrought IronIron worked by hand by a blacksmith, as in old black gates.
Shadows, soot and ink 32
AshesThe gray at the tips of an old black coat.
BlackboardA black coat that shows every speck of dust like chalk.
BlotOne drop of black on a clean floor.
Boot PolishBlack, shiny and worked in with a brush.
CauldronRound, black and usually in the middle of the kitchen.
CharThe black crust on anything left on the fire a little long.
CharcoalThe light black residue left when wood is heated with little air.
ChimneyBlack on the inside, top to bottom.
CindersWhat is left in the grate, and the color of this coat.
Coal DustFine, black and found on every cushion.
Dark CornerWhere this pet is right now.
FlueThe dark pipe above the fire, for a pet who naps by the stove.
GriddleFlat, black and warm, like this pet on a sunny floor.
Ink RibbonThe black strip a typewriter strikes through.
Ink SpotA small black mark where a small black pet is sitting.
InkyBlack as the bottle, and it gets on everything.
KettleAs in the pot calling it black.
Lamp SootThe black that an oil lamp leaves on its glass.
NoirFrench for black.
PhantomSeen at the edge of your eye, gone when you turn.
PitchThe tarry stuff that gave us the word pitch-black.
SableThe word for black on a coat of arms.
ScorchThe dark mark an iron leaves, for a pet with one darker patch.
ShadeShadow for short, and the coolest spot in the yard.
ShadowFollows you from room to room and is hard to see in the hall.
SilhouetteA picture cut as one solid shape, usually black.
SmokeDark, quiet and through the door before you close it.
SootThe fine black carbon that a fire leaves behind.
StealthYou will not hear this pet coming, or see it.
SweepThe one who comes out of the chimney the same color as it.
ThumbprintA dark mark left on everything this pet touches.
WickThe black thread at the heart of a candle.
Black birds and beasts 8
BlackbirdThe male common blackbird is all black with a yellow eye-ring and bill.
BombayA breed of short-haired cat, solid black with copper-gold eyes.
CrowThe carrion crow has black plumage with a green or purple sheen.
FriesianA horse breed from the Netherlands, black in color.
JackdawA black-plumaged bird with a gray nape and a pale iris.
PantherA black panther is a leopard or a jaguar with a black coat.
RavenA large all-black bird of the crow family.
RookA large black-feathered bird of the crow family that nests in groups.
Gentle jokes 31
Blackout CurtainStretched across the window, keeping every bit of light out.
BlizzardNamed for the opposite, on purpose.
BriquetteA small black lump that warms up fast.
Dark ModeSame pet, easier on the eyes at night.
DominoFor a black pet with a few white dots.
Eight BallRound, black and behind most of what goes wrong.
FlashlightNeeded to find this pet any time after eight.
Formal WearAlways in black, and always shedding on yours.
High BeamWhat it takes to find this pet on the driveway at night.
Ink DotA small black dot at the far end of the sofa.
Lens CapEvery photo of this pet looks like you left it on.
Missing SockBlack, soft and never where you left it.
Mystery LumpThe dark shape on the dark blanket. Check before you sit.
NoonNamed for the brightest hour, by someone with a sense of humor.
Overdone ToastBlack on both sides and in the kitchen every morning.
Photo NegativeFor the black pet who lives with a white one.
PhotocopyFor the second black pet, a copy of the first.
Power CutThe house goes dark and something brushes past your leg.
PupilThe black dot in the middle of your eye, and about as easy to photograph.
RedactedA black bar across the sofa where the cushion used to be.
ShadesCool, dark and never taken off indoors.
SnowballThe joke only works on a pet this black.
SpotOne spot. It covers the whole animal.
Stage HandDressed in black and not meant to be noticed.
TonerBlack, gets on your hands and always runs out at the wrong time.
Trip HazardA black pet on a dark stair at night.
TuxedoBlack coat, white shirt front, always overdressed.
Two EyesAll you can see of this pet after dark.
UmbrellaBlack, folded up by the door and under your feet when it rains.
VanillaOrdered vanilla, got this.
VoidWhat cat people call a black cat who vanishes in a dim room.
How this list was compiled
Own list of 147 names for a black pet, written for this page on 2026-10-02; the choice of names and every line are ours. 75 cards state a fact (what a stone, a food, a bird or a word is). Each was read that day in the English Wikipedia article or the English Wiktionary entry on that thing or word (CC BY-SA 4.0), and the card says no more than the opening section of that article does (the whole article for Umbra, Blackstrap, Graphite and Crow). The other lines are our own view of why a name suits a black coat. Groups: 29 night and sky, 30 black foods, 17 black stones, metals and wood, 32 shadows, soot and ink, 8 black birds and beasts, 31 gentle jokes. No name was chosen because a film, a cartoon, a game or a brand carries it; no alcoholic drink and nothing rude is on the list. The fact lines were read again against the same sources on 2026-10-03. Licence: The names, the groups and the lines are our own work. Facts on the cards draw on English Wikipedia and English Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).