Although they are presented as bearers of evil in books and movies, dogs with black fur are quite popular among dog lovers. Sometimes the color black reflects their pedigree, while at other times it conveys that your guard dog means business. Either way, pick a name Blackie will respond to well.
Somber names for black dogs
If you’re an owner who realizes there is nothing malicious about your dog’s dark fur, then why not name it accordingly. For other people, the canine will be an Enigma, just as the names Grim, Mystery, Doom, Murk, and Gloom come with a somber overtone.
Other Gothic-sounding names can be Shine, Gloss, Black (Magic), Spot, Angst (ideal for a German Shepherd or a Rottweiler), Black (Beauty), Ink Spot, Goth, Phantom, Stain, Ghost, Darth Vader (any Star Wars fans out there?), Arrow, etc.
Fans of literature would probably go with Poe or Raven, while a true The Addams Family fan would opt for Morticia. Rock and roll fans should pick from names such as (Black) Sabbath, Styx, and Voodoo. Some of the less-potent somber names include Groucho, Bad (Boy), Ninja, Rebel, and Mascara
If you’re an owner who realizes there is nothing malicious about your dog’s dark fur, then why not name it accordingly.
Names for black dogs inspired by other animals
The color black is everything but rare in the animal kingdom, so why not name your black dog after another animal of a similar color. If your pup likes to roll around or it’s bulky, then Seal or Whale are appropriate names, respectively. For large canines, Bear, Orca, Panda, and Stallion are all great names.
Panther is a great name for a black dog with sleek fur, while Bat and Batman symbolize the fact that Fido is the hero of your life. Other animal-related suggestions include Angus, Puma, Momba, Snake, Crow, Starling, Shamu, Swan, Buffalo, etc.
Food-related black dog names
Whether you have a sweet tooth for Chocolate or you like to sip (Coca-)Cola in the summer, your favorite food and drinks can serve as inspiration for naming your pet dog. For coffee lovers, Roast, Samba, Burnt, Espresso, and Dark are all great names.
The “grocery” list of names goes on: Pepper, Forge, Blackberry, Smelt, Grit, Caviar, Pepsi, Coke, Guinness (perhaps you could get a sponsorship deal from the lauded Irish brewery), Kettle, Berry, Rum, Whiskey, Dr. Pepper, Cocoa, Licorice, Bourbon, Bosco, Butler, Fudge, Anise, Hershey, Oreo, etc.
The color black is everything but rare in the animal kingdom, so why not name your black dog after another animal of a similar color.
The color black in other languages
Film noir doesn’t need a special introduction to cinemagoers but did you know that Noir and Noire are French words for “black?” As such, they are perfect names for black dogs, as well as words from other languages.
We have Svart in Swedish, the simple Du in Welsh, Musta in Finnish, Pando in the Māori language, and Kuro in Japanese (Amaya, meaning “night rain” in Japanese is another cool dog name). All of these words are either monosyllabic or disyllabic, making them easy to pronounce for a native English speaker.
The same goes for Beltza in Basque, Preta/Preto in Porteguese, and Crn/Crna in Serbo-Croatian. Luna is “the Moon” in Spanish and Deva is a Hindu moon goddess (Artemis is her Greek and Diana her Roman counterpart).
Film noir doesn’t need a special introduction to cinemagoers but did you know that Noir and Noire are French words for “black?”
Names for black dogs out of this world
Speaking of deities, the blackness of outer space is abundant with terms you can borrow for your pet’s name (like Walt Disney did it with Pluto). Cosmo and Cosmos are popular names and so are Mars, Galaxy, Jupiter, Meteor, Neptune, Venus, and Star.
Other planetary popular names are Eclipse, Mercury, Lunar, (Super) Nova, Oriental-sounding Quasar, Saturn, Nebula, Neutron, Kuiper, Vortex, etc.
Naming a black dog can be a game
If you’re a fan of casino games, then you simply must name your pet Blackjack. However, the gaming world has many more inspirational words: Domino (could also be a food reference), Eight Ball, Pawn, Knight, Dice, Chess or Checkers (for animals with white patches), Spade, King, Queen, Ace, etc.
Speaking of deities, the blackness of outer space is abundant with terms you can borrow for your pet’s name!
Names for black dogs inspired by the weather
Black is the color of the night but why not make Night your new pup’s name? The climate, weather, and time references are abundant, as Nightfall, Midnight, Dark, Nightshade, Eclipse, Twilight, Nocturne, and Dusk are all suitable names for dogs.
Furthermore, you have Shade, Shady, and Shadow as ideal names for a quiet animal, while Thunder, Storm, and Stormy would suit any boisterous black dog. Mountain, Fog, Foggy, Eve, Evening, Evie, Mist, and Misty are more neutral options.
Artsy and famous names for black dogs
Whether it’s a song, a novel, or a movie, black dogs served as inspiration for countless artists. The British rock band The Darkness sang about a spectral black dog called Black Shuck (after a ghostly black dog from British folklore), while J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series features Grim and Padfoot (or Snuffles).
Frank the Pug is the alien dog in Men in Black (albeit he is white but wears a black tuxedo); the British comic The Dandy has a canine character named Black Bob, and Cujo is the name of a novel (and a subsequent horror film) by Stephen King.
Whether it’s a song, a novel, or a movie, black dogs served as inspiration for countless artists.
Popular names not related to the color black
There is a set of names that owners give to their black dogs without ever taking into account the color of their fur. For instance, Stella can be a girl’s name, while Nova sounds nice for a sire. Other popular names include Olive, Poppy, Dakota, Bean, Arya, Opal, and Darcy.
What else is black?
Finally, we come to the category of substances that are black (like your dog). Ink and Inky can play with Mildew and Mold, while Soot, Cinder, and Ash wait to join in. Joking set aside, the list of names inspired by black substances is inexhaustible: Jet, Onyx, Ebony, Mica, Castrion, Slate, Char, Skye, Orion, Ember, Indigo, Mud, etc.
If geology is your thing, then consider names such as Ore, Iron, Charcoal, Magma, Lava, Coal (Cole, Colby), Stone, Obsidian, Carbon, Lead, etc. Metallurgy-related names would be Diesel, (Heavy) Metal, Oil, Grease, Smudge, Stain, Metallica, Tar, Asphalt, Graphite, Pearl, Dust, Dirt, Soil, etc.
Black dogs are featured prominently in folklore but often in a negative, ominous context. You can use this fact to name your dog Doom or you can break away from this legacy by naming the animal Dakota, for example. Despite its color, a black mutt is by all means a ray of sunshine in its owner’s life.
