The 200+ Best and Most Creative Black Horse Names

What’s in a name? While William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet may try to convince us that names aren’t important, we disagree. First, names are obviously crucial in helping differentiate our pets from one another. Secondly, naming your beloved equine helps you both communicate and bond with your horse. Third, names are a way to express your or your horse’s personality. Finally, names are fun! If you’re the owner of one of the 7.2 million horses in the United States, check out this herd of more than 200 options to name your next black horse!

Names that Channel Nature, Science, and the Cosmos

Interested in something organic or earthy for your equine companion? Or have you always been fascinated by what lies beyond our planet? Check out these fun and beautiful nature and science names for a black horse!

• Ash
• Bear
• Black Agate
• Celest / Celestial
• Charcoal
• Cinder
• Coal
• Cosmo
• Crow
• Dahlia
• Dina (A playful nickname for iodine)
• Dusk / Dusky
• Dusty
• Ebony
• Eclipse
• Ember
• Estrella – Spanish for Star
• Galaxy
• Graphite
• Ink
• Jack / Jackdaws (Birds similar to crows)
• Luna
• Midnight
• Nebula
• Nightshade
• Nova
• Obsidian / Sid
• Onyx
• Orchid
• Panther
• Raven
• Slate
• Smoke / Smokey
• Soot
• Spider
• Star / Starlight
• Storm
• Tourmaline

Black Horse Names Inspired by Darkness and Mystery

Are you a diehard thriller fan? Looking for a name that’s a little darker and intriguing? Check out these aloof and mysterious names perfect for a black horse!

• Archangel
• Black Thunder
• Chaos
• Coven
• Cult
• Death
• Déjà Vu
• Diablo
• Enigma
• Ghost
• Giza – Swahili word for darkness
• Jinx
• Lucifer
• Lucy – Female nickname for Lucifer
• Magic
• Muerte – Spanish for death
• Mysteria
• Mystery
• Nightfall
• Nightmare
• Ninja
• Noche – Spanish for night
• Nocturne
• Noir
• Omen
• Oscuro – Spanish for dark, blackness
• Phantom
• Pitch (Black)
• Sable
• Shadow
• Silhouette
• Smolder
• Sombra – Spanish for shadow
• Stealth
• Tempest
• Twilight
• Umbra – Meaning shadow or darkness
• Vesper – Means evening or evening star
• Vigilante
• Voodoo

Fun and Playful Black Horse Names

Some of our saddle-savvy friends may love a name that alludes to their black horse, without coming off so eerie and ominous. If that’s what you want, this list of fun and playful names is for you!

• Ace
• Axel
• Barrel
• Black Diamond
• Blackie
• Blackjack
• Blitz
• Bolt
• Bullet
• Diesel
• Dot
• Echo
• Gamble
• Jet / Jett
• Knight
• Matte (Black)
• Tux

Names from History and Mythology

History nut or a fan of mythology? Check out these 26 names inspired by the past.

• Alastor – The black horse of Hades
• Anubis – The god of funerary rites and guide to the underworld in ancient Egypt, typically depicted as a large, black canine
• Ares – The son of Zeus and Hera, as well as the Greek god of war
• Bran – Celtic god of the underworld, whose symbol is the raven
• Bucephalus – The name of Alexander the Great’s black stallion
• Eos – Goddess of the dawn
• Erebus – God of darkness
• Freya – Norse goddess in charge of fertility, love, battle, and death
• Hades – Greek god of the underworld
• Hera – Greek goddess of women, marriage, empires, heirs, and childbirth
• Kelpie – A shape-shifting water spirit, often appearing as a black horse near bodies of water in Scottish folklore
• Khaorra – A black horse believed to bring good fortune in Mongolian mythology
• Loki – The god of mischief in Norse mythology
• Nemesis – The Greek goddess of retribution
• Nike – Greek winged goddess of victory
• Nyx – Night goddess in Greek mythology
• Perses – Greek mythology, the titan of destruction
• Pompeii – The name of an ancient city in Italy, originally buried under 13-20 feet of ash from the volcano Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD
• Quo Vadis – The name of a black champion show mare in the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame, this name translates to “Wither thou goest?” or “Where are you going?” 
• Ruffian – A famous black thoroughbred racer
• Selene – A moon goddess in ancient Greek mythology
• Sleipnir – Odin’s eight-legged steed, often depicted as black, in Norse mythology
• Valkyrie – The figures who guide souls of the dead to Valhalla, or the afterlife, in Norse mythology
• Yami – The goddess of the night in Hinduism
• Zeus – The king of gods in Greek mythology, also considered the god of thunder, lighting, sky, law, order, weather, and justice

Famous Names from Hollywood and Literature

If you’re trying to brainstorm fun names that are pop cultural references, give one of these options a try!

• Addam/Addams – The Addams Family
• Ajax – The cunning villain of Deadpool
• Aragog – A dark, massive spider from Harry Potter
• Azkaban – The wizard prison in Harry Potter
• Bagheera – A dashing black panther from The Jungle Book
• Baloo – The wise teacher from The Jungle Book
• Batman – A popular superhero appearing in various comic books, television shows, and movies
• Bellatrix – A dark witch from Harry Potter
• Black Beauty / Beauty – Based on the 1877 best-selling English novel
• Black Betsy / Betsy – The name of the baseball bat used by Shoeless Joe Jackson and previously considered one of the most fabled artifacts in baseball
• Black Betty – Originally a 20th-century African-American work song, and later converted to a rock song by several artists
• Black Hawk – A United States military helicopter and the subject of the 2001 film Black Hawk Down
• Black Pearl / Pearl – The name of Captain Jack Sparrow’s beloved ship in Pirates of the Caribbean
• Black Sabbath – A rock band formed in 1968 that starred vocalist Ozzy Osbourne and was considered one of the pioneers of heavy metal music
• Black Velvet – 90s song performed by Alannah Myles
• Black Widow – Heroine from the Marvel universe
• Boggart – A shape-shifting creature in Harry Potter that takes on the observer’s worst fear
• Bruce – The secret identity of Batman
• Cass Ole – The name of the black Arabian stallion that starred in the Black Stallion movies
• Cinderella – A famous Disney princess
• Constantine – The demon hunter appearing in comic books published by DC, television shows, and a 2005 film
• Daredevil – The name of the headless horseman’s horse from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
• Dexter – The main character of a television series following the daily life of a serial killer with a “dark passenger”
• Dracula – The 1897 novel by Bram Stoker
• Edgar / Edgar Allan / Poe / Nevermore – Alludes to the famous writer predominantly known for his tales of mystery
• Elvis – American actor and singer from the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s
• Flicka – A wild, black horse from the 2006 film Flicka and 1941 children’s novel My Friend Flicka
• Gomez – Father in the Addams Family
• Gotham – Home to Batman and many colorful villains
• Jedi – The knights of the Star Wars franchise
• Maleficent – The villain in Sleeping Beauty
• Morticia – Mother in the Addams Family
• Nox – A spell in Harry Potter that turns off the lights
• Pugsley – The son in the Addams Family
• Severus / Severus Snape / Snape – A Hogwarts professor from the Harry Potter franchise who worked with the Dark Lord
• Shadowfax – Gandalf’s steed in The Lord of the Rings, described as silver-grey in daylight, but hardly visible at night
• Sirius / Sirius Black – A character in the Harry Potter series
• Sith – Followers of the dark side in Star Wars
• Slim Shady – Artist Eminem’s evil alter-ego
• T’Challa – The Black Panther in the Marvel universe
• Tornado – Zorro’s horse
• Vader / Darth Vader – Main antagonist from the Star Wars franchise
• Voldemort – Main antagonist from the Harry Potter series, also referred to as the Dark Lord
• Wednesday – Daughter in the Addams Family
• Winchester – The last name of the main protagonists in the television show Supernatural, known for hunting demons
• Zorro – The dashing, masked vigilante

Delightfully Delicious Names for Black Horses

A new trend in naming beloved pets is based on favorite foods! In fact, celebrities are even hopping on this hilarious craze! From Meatball and Mocha to Sushi and Noodles, nothing is off-limits. Check out these fun and unique options for dark, mostly black foods that would make entertaining names for a black horse!

• Bean / Beanie / Black Bean
• Black Sesame (Seed)
• Blackberry
• Caviar
• Chia (Seeds)
• Dark Roast (Coffee)
• Espresso
• Fig
• Guinness
• Juniper
• Kalamata / Olive
• Licorice
• Oreo
• Pepper
• Raisin
• Soy / Soy Sauce
• Truffle

For When You Want to Turn Down Plans Without Telling People You’re Spending Time With Your Horse

If you’re an introvert still commuting to the office and regularly trying to avoid plans with co-workers, then we have the perfect solution! Ditch the traditional or obvious pet names. Instead, check out these human-sounding names and their meanings that make them perfect for a black horse!

• Adriene – Darkness
• Blake – Black
• Cierra – Darkest color of all
• Cole – Black coal
• Corbett – Little raven
• Darcy – Descendant of the dark one
• Delaney – Dark challenger
• Donovan – Dark
• Dougal – Dark stranger
• Duncan – Dark warrior
• Keira – Little, dark girl
• Kerry – Dark or dark-haired
• Kolby – Dark, dark hair
• Laylah – Dark beauty, night beauty
• Melanie – Blackness
• Nigel – Dark, dark-haired
• Zelda – Dark battle
• Zilla – Shadow

When in Doubt, Go with Your Gut

Finally, whether you’re selecting one of the fun and clever names from above, or something a little more personal, the best opinion when it comes to naming your horse is always going to be yours. Above all, you will know and relate to your horse better than anyone. Happy riding!

The photo featured at the top of this post is © Kira Felicitas/Shutterstock.com