Black Cat Names: 54 Ideas from Shadow to Jiji

Black cat names get pulled toward Halloween, which is a shame, because the tag has to work in March. The names that last on a dark cat are the ones that describe something real: the coat, the hour, a gemstone, a quality you actually want to call across a room. The clever ones are still clever at a Tuesday checkup, and the spooky ones are only fun in October.

The fifty-four names below are grouped by gender and sorted by what they mean. A few mean something that is not black at all, and this page says which, because you should not print Luna expecting it to mean a coat color.

Quick Picks: Our Top Black Cat Names

• Jiji — faithful black cat companion; two syllables, JEE-jee. Japanese, and the one meaning here that genuinely describes a black cat.

  Try names like Jiji

• Shadow — shadow; two syllables, SHAD-oh. English, for the cat who follows you down the hall.

  Try names like Shadow

• Midnight — the middle of the night; two syllables, MID-nite. English, a coat-as-clock name.

  Try names like Midnight

• Onyx — black gemstone; two syllables, ON-iks. Greek, the dark stone that says it plainly.

  Try names like Onyx

• Panther — black wild cat; two syllables, PAN-ther. The parlor-panther look without naming anyone Blackie.

• Salem — peace; two syllables, SAY-lum. Hebrew. The witch-town picture is extra; the meaning is peace.

• Raven — dark bird; two syllables, RAY-ven. English, and a clean, moody sound.

  Try names like Raven

• Luna — moon; two syllables, LOO-nah. Latin. A night-sky name, not a coat word. If you use it, say moon when asked.

  Try names like Luna

Nyx, Noir, and Binx are the other names people reach for first on a black cat, and each is worth considering on its own terms. Nyx is Greek for night, Noir is French for black, and Binx is a storybook favorite.

Black Cat Names for Female Cats

Goddesses, night words, and a couple of three-syllable film names you will shorten before the week is out.

• Bastet — cat goddess; two syllables, BAS-tet. Egyptian. She is a cat before she is a color, which is the honest part.

  Try names like Bastet

• Layla — night beauty; two syllables, LAY-lah. Arabic, dark-leaning without being a color word.

  Try names like Layla

• Cleo — glory; two syllables, KLEE-oh. Greek. The meaning is glory, not the queen.

  Try names like Cleo

• Bella — beautiful; two syllables, BEL-ah. Italian, and an everyday name any clinic can spell.

  Try names like Bella

• Nebula — mist, cloud; three syllables, NEB-yoo-lah. Latin. You will shorten it, so start with Luna if you want two beats.

  Try names like Nebula

• Catwoman — feline hero; three syllables, KAT-woo-mun. Practice it from the driveway; if it becomes Cat, start with Cleo.

• Hedwig — battle, combat; two syllables, HED-wig. German. The owl is the association, but the meaning is battle.

  Try names like Hedwig

• Stella — star; two syllables, STEL-ah. Latin, a sky name rather than a coat one.

  Try names like Stella

• Nova — new; two syllables, NOH-vah. Latin, and bright against a black coat.

  Try names like Nova

• Willow — willow tree; two syllables, WIL-oh. English, graceful rather than dark.

  Try names like Willow

• Zoe — life; two syllables, ZOH-ee. Greek, and a short, warm call.

  Try names like Zoe

• Opal — a jewel with shifting color; two syllables, OH-puhl. Latin, a name for the black cat whose coat flashes in the light.

  Try names like Opal

Ebony, Jet, Obsidian, and Midnight are the other dark words people try on a girl, and they read exactly as they sound. Cleopatra is a real queen’s name; Cleo is the shorter, easier version.

Black Cat Names for Male Cats

Gods, coffee, a little luck-as-irony, and one Latin word people keep misreading as black.

• Anubis — god of the dead; three syllables, ah-NOO-bis. Egyptian. A hallway trap; if you will shout Nubi, start there.

  Try names like Anubis

• Loki — trickster god; two syllables, LOH-kee. Norse, and a good match for a troublemaker.

  Try names like Loki

• Osiris — god of the afterlife; three syllables, oh-SY-ris. Egyptian, with the same three-beat problem as Anubis.

  Try names like Osiris

• Felix — happy, lucky; two syllables, FEE-liks. Latin. Some people enjoy the irony on a black cat, but it is a word on a tag, not a charm.

  Try names like Felix

• Nero — strong, vigorous; two syllables, NEER-oh. Latin. The meaning is strong, not black.

  Try names like Nero

• Bandit — thief, outlaw; two syllables, BAN-dit. English. The mask markings are the picture; the meaning is the outlaw.

  Try names like Bandit

• Bear — large fierce animal; one syllable, BAIR. English, and a solid one-beat name.

  Try names like Bear

• Orion — hunter; three syllables, oh-RY-on. Greek, a hunter across the winter sky.

  Try names like Orion

• Espresso — strong black coffee; three syllables, es-PRES-oh. The one food word here that is genuinely black.

• Vader — father; two syllables, VAY-der. German. The villain is the association; the meaning is father.

  Try names like Vader

• Zeus — king of gods; one syllable, ZOOS. Greek, and a single commanding beat.

  Try names like Zeus

• Wolf — wild canine; one syllable, WOLF. A one-beat nature name.

• Titan — giant; two syllables, TY-tan. Greek, for a big black tom.

  Try names like Titan

• Jack — God is gracious; one syllable, JAK. English. The lantern is the association, and that hunt belongs on Halloween cat names.

  Try names like Jack

• Rocco — rest; two syllables, ROK-koh. Italian. The meaning is rest, not a tough-guy invention.

  Try names like Rocco

Dracula, Bagheera, and Blackie are the other famous black-cat names, and each is more costume than coat. A household rarely needs both Anubis and Osiris; they share the afterlife lane, and you will mix them up at 6 a.m.

Unique Black Cat Names

Tea, spice, a green gem, and the dictionary words that describe everything except the color black.

• Echo — reflected sound; two syllables, EK-oh. Greek. The nymph is extra; the meaning is sound.

  Try names like Echo

• Chai — tea; one syllable, CHY. Hindi, and not a definition of black.

• Pepper — spicy seasoning; two syllables, PEP-er. English, a spice name rather than a coat chip.

  Try names like Pepper

• Cookie — small baked treat; two syllables, KOOK-ee. Warm and easy to say.

• Cuddles — affectionate embrace; two syllables, KUD-ulz. English. A sweet word on a small cat, and a hard one to keep sounding serious on a large one.

  Try names like Cuddles

• Ghost — spirit; one syllable, GOHST. English, a pale irony on a black cat.

  Try names like Ghost

• Smokey — gray colored; two syllables, SMOH-kee. The meaning is gray, so use it if the cat actually reads smoky.

  Try names like Smokey

• Wren — small bird; one syllable, REN. Nature, and a tiny name for a tiny cat.

• Olive — olive tree; two syllables, OL-iv. The tree is the meaning, not the fruit.

• Poppy — red flower; two syllables, POP-ee. Latin. Red rather than black, so pick it for the sound.

  Try names like Poppy

• Pearl — a gem from a shell; one syllable, PERL. The irony is the point, if you want it.

• Hazel — hazel tree; two syllables, HAY-zel. The tree, not an eye color.

  Try names like Hazel

• Ivy — climbing plant; two syllables, EYE-vee. English, short and green.

  Try names like Ivy

• Jade — green gemstone; one syllable, JAYD. A green stone, so another deliberate contrast.

• Kira — shining or glittering; two syllables, KEE-rah. Japanese. Shine, not soot.

  Try names like Kira

• Piper — pipe player; two syllables, PY-per. English, and a bright sound.

  Try names like Piper

• Ruby — red gemstone; two syllables, ROO-bee. Latin, red on a black cat if you like the clash.

  Try names like Ruby

• Xena — stranger, guest; two syllables, ZEE-nah. Greek. The warrior is the association; the meaning is guest.

  Try names like Xena

• Zara — gold, blossom; two syllables, ZAH-rah. Persian. Gold rather than black, and a strong call.

  Try names like Zara

Umbra, Ink, Licorice, Coffee, Cocoa, and Charcoal are the other dark or bitter words people try, and they suit the mood. Some of them are food words first, which makes them a gentle joke rather than a literal description.

How to Choose the Right Black Cat Name

Say it in March, not only in October. Halloween waiting rooms hear Salem and Midnight all day, and the name still has to suit a Tuesday checkup for the next fifteen years. Salem means peace, which is a fine thing to call after a dark cat. If the word you actually want is witch-cat, the Halloween list is the honest home for it. Cats do not know the folklore; the humans in scrubs will hear it every visit.

The unlucky-black-cat idea is a story, not a diagnosis, and it is not a reason to pick Felix as a charm. Felix means happy, lucky; that is a tag word, nothing more. A name will not change a cat’s luck. Instead, match the name to the cat in front of you. A hallway follower wears Shadow well. Jiji suits a small black cat who sticks close. Panther fits the copper-eyed parlor look.

Three syllables are a trap on a cat you already lose in the hallway. Catwoman, Anubis, and Osiris collapse in the mouth, and Espresso, Nebula, and Orion are not much better when you are calling from the stairs. Two beats win: Jiji, Onyx, Raven, Layla. One beat works if you want a bark: Bear, Wolf, Ghost. Spell it once before the microchip form, because Jiji becomes Gigi, Onyx becomes Onix, and Salem becomes Salim.

Some of the meanings here are not black, and they stay on the page with the honest definition attached. Luna is moon, Nero is strong, Smokey is gray, Kira is shining, and Poppy is a red flower. A patent-leather Bombay has its own breed guide; the name still has to work in March. To browse by origin or personality instead, the Name Generator can help.

Frequently Asked Questions

Are black cats bad luck?

No. The unlucky-black-cat idea is a story people tell, not a veterinary fact, and a name will not change a cat’s luck because luck is not something a clinic measures. Felix means happy, lucky, which some owners enjoy as a gentle irony on a dark coat. Match the cat in front of you rather than the folklore.

What are some good black cat names?

Jiji, Shadow, Midnight, Onyx, and Salem are the first names this coat reaches for. Jiji means faithful black cat companion, Shadow is the follow-you-down-the-hall name, Midnight is the middle of the night, Onyx is a black gemstone, and Salem means peace. Luna and Raven also suit a dark cat even though their meanings are moon and dark bird.

Is Luna a black cat name?

People put Luna on black cats, and it sounds good, but Luna means moon in Latin, which is a night-sky word rather than a coat word. If you want the coat itself, Jiji, Onyx, and Panther say it more directly. If you still want Luna, say moon when someone asks, and leave Egypt out of it.

What about Nyx, Noir, and Binx?

All three are real and striking. Nyx is the Greek name for night, Noir is French for black, and Binx is a literary and film favorite. Ebony, Jet, Obsidian, and Midnight are the other dark words people try. Any of them makes a fine name; Onyx simply has the cleanest gemstone meaning of the group.

How is this list different from Halloween cat names?

This page is about the coat and the night sky, not the spooky season. Salem appears here because it means peace, not because it belongs to a witch. If you want Binx and jack-o’-lantern jokes, Halloween cat names is the better fit, and witchy cat names covers the familiar-and-herb lane.