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Black Cat Names

A black cat is a blank slate of mystery, elegance, and a little mischief. These names lean into that, with picks pulled from mythology, gemstones, classic literature, and pop culture.

Black cats have one of the strongest naming traditions of any coat color, partly because their look practically writes the brief for you. The all-black coat reads as either glamorous or spooky depending on the cat, so you have two distinct directions: lean into the elegance (Onyx, Ebony, Sable, Noir) or lean into the supernatural (Salem, Shadow, Raven, Bastet).

Mythology is especially rich here. Bastet, the Egyptian cat goddess, was depicted as a black cat or a woman with a cat head, and was associated with home, fertility, and protection. Anubis, also Egyptian, was the jackal-headed god of the afterlife and works for any black cat with a serious disposition. From Greek myth, Persephone (queen of the underworld) and Hecate (goddess of witchcraft) both fit a black female cat. From Norse mythology, Loki, the trickster god, suits a black cat that gets into things.

Pop culture has given us a steady supply too. Salem from Sabrina the Teenage Witch is the most-borrowed black cat name of the last 30 years. Binx from Hocus Pocus is another. Lucifer from Cinderella works for a black-and-white tuxedo as much as a pure black. From the literary side, Behemoth, the giant black cat from Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita, is one of the most memorable cats in 20th-century fiction.

If you want something less obvious, look at black gemstones and minerals (Onyx, Jet, Coal), shades and shadows (Inky, Soot, Smudge, Shadow), or French and Italian color words (Noir, Nero) for a touch of elegance. For a black cat with a cute disposition, Boo, Poppy, or Olive all work without leaning into the spooky angle.

One naming convention worth knowing: in many Western cultures, black cats were historically associated with witches and bad luck, but in Japan and the UK, black cats are considered good luck. The Japanese tradition is reflected in names like Kuro (literally "black"), which is one of the most common cat names in Japan.

66 names
9 female
17 male
40 unisex

Famous cats matching this list

Names from our directory of internet-famous cats that fit this category:

Loki

Loki

The vampire cat
Smudge

Smudge

The cat who hates salad

More color categories

Other color values you can browse:

White 60 Orange 92 Grey 36 Calico 10 Tabby 13 Tuxedo 16

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Categories with strong overlap with this list:

Mysterious Vibe Names 71 Unisex Gender Names 249 Short (1-4 letters) Length Names 143

Frequently asked questions

How many Black cat names are on this list?

There are 66 names on this page, hand-picked and tagged with their origin and meaning where verifiable.

Are these names suitable for both kittens and adult cats?

Yes. None of the names are age-specific. A name that suits a kitten will keep working as the cat grows.

Why does coat color matter when naming a cat?

It does not have to. Many people use coat color as a starting point for inspiration (Shadow, Snow, Pumpkin) but you are not bound by it. A black cat called Sunny is its own kind of joke.

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