If you plan on welcoming a black dog into your family, we’ve got a few name ideas for you. Read on to find names for black dogs inspired by food, nature, pop culture, and more. 

What makes black dogs so special? 

Every dog deserves a loving home and a forever family. But did you know that black dogs are usually the last to be adopted from shelters and rescues? Unfortunately, there’s an unfair prejudice running against dark-colored dog breeds called Black Dog Syndrome (BDS). 

There’s no real evidence proving that black dog breeds are harder to take care of than lighter breeds. One reason why Black Dog Syndrome prevails is that black dogs are often portrayed as aggressive characters in movies and TV shows. Any parent to a black dog will tell you this sterotype is not accurate as any dog can develop aggression. 

To combat BDS, we celebrate National Black Dog Day every year on October 1st. On this holiday, many shelters and rescues will sponsor adoption fees for black dogs. You can participate as well by donating to rescues and shelters that support black dog adoptions. 

Female Names for Black Dogs 

1. Misty
2. Velvet
3. Cinder
4. Sable
5. Pepper
6. Stormy
7. Ebony
8. Morticia
9. Nisha (means “night” in Sanskrit)
10. Dahila

Male Names for Black Dogs

1. Jet (or Jett) 
2. Shadow
3. Onyx
4. Tux
5. Midnight
6. Cosmo
7. Inky
8. Nyx
9. Knight
10. Blackie 

Black Dog Names Inspired by Nature

Black is a common color you see in nature. Just looking around in your backyard might inspire a few black dog name ideas. 

1. Raven
2. Panther
3. Coal
4. Eclipse
5. Thunder
6. Carbon
7. Ash
8. Blackbird
9. Obsidian
10. Smokey
11. Cypress
12. Petunia
13. Bear
14. Flint
15. Magpie
16. Ember
17. Nightshade
18. Slate
19. Luna 
20. Birch 
21. Willow 
22. Charcoal 
23. Mud 
24. Briar 
25. Black Mamba
26. Viola
27. Crow
28. Sable 
29. Hollyhock
30. Karma

Food-Themed Black Dog Names 

Another method to inspire names for black dogs? Take a look at the food and drinks in your kitchen. You’ll find more dark cuisine that could be the perfect name for your pup. 

1. Oreo
2. Cocoa
3. Blackberry
4. Coke
5. Truffle
6. Caviar
7. Java
8. Mocha
9. Espresso
10. Licorice
11. Olive
12. Dr. Pepper 
13. Raisin
14. Blueberry 
15. Coffee
16. Guiness
17. Molasses
18. Beans
19. Nutella
20. Sesame
21. Fig
22. Cola
23. Porter
24. T-Bone
25. Miso
26. Chia

TV & Movie Names for Black Dogs

Unfortunately, there are plenty of good and bad representation of black dogs in movies and TV shows. But naming your sweet pup after one of these characters could set a new reputation for black dogs. 

1. Bruce (Batman) 
2. Clint (Hawkeye, The Avengers) 
3. Morpheus (The Matrix franchise) 
4. Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty)
5. Sirius Black (Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban) 
6. Mickey (Mickey Mouse)
7. Darth Vader (Star Wars franchise)
8. Salem (Sabrina the Teenage Witch)
9. Hagrid (Harry Potter series)
10. Minnie Mouse
11. Minnie (Disney) 
12. Baloo (The Jungle Book) 
13. Kylo (Star Wars franchise) 
14. Cruella (101 Dalmatians) 
15. Goofy (Disney) 
16. Ursula (The Little Mermaid) 
17. Morbius (Morbius) 
18. Zorro (The Mask of Zorro) 
19. Willy (Free Willy) 
20. Morticia (The Addams Family) 
21. Wednesday (The Addams Family) 
22. Beetlejuice (Beetlejuice) 
23. Jack (Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas) 
24. Chaplin (black-and-white movie actor, Charlie Chaplin) 
25. Darkwing (Ducktales) 
26. Merlin (The Sword and the Stone) 

Black Dog Names from Books & Mythology

There’s a surprising amount of black dog (or dark-hearted) characters in literature and mythology. Could one of these characters inspire the name for your new pup? 

1. Nyx (Greek goddess of the night) 
2. Buck (Call of the Wild) 
3. Hecate (Greek goddess of magic and the night) 
4. Toto (The Wizard of Oz) 
5. Hel (Norse goddess of the underworld) 
6. Ebony (The Ebony Tower)
7. Morrigan (Celtic goddess of war, often depicted as a crow) 
8. Hades (Greek god of the underworld) 
9. Gollum (The Lord of the Rings)
10. Deva (Hindu moon goddess) 
11. Fang (Harry Potter series) 
12. Cerberus (three-headed guard dog of the underworld) 
13. Fenrir (giant wolf in Norse mythology) 
14. Bagheera (The Jungle Book) 
15. Dracula (Dracula) 
16. Dorian (The Picture of Dorian Grey)
17. Bastet (Egyptian goddess portrayed as a black cat) 
18. Persephone (Greek goddess of the underworld) 
19. Poe (Edgar Allen Poe) 
20. Thanatos (Greek god of death) 

Wizard (The Wizard of Oz)