Dog Names Meaning Dark

Introduction

There are many ways to choose a name for a new canine companion. Many pet parents will choose to utilize names from favorite movies or books, while others may choose names that honor friends or family members. Another popular method for finding an appropriate name for your dog is to choose a name with a specific meaning. Names that refer to dark or darkness may be used not only for dogs that have dark coats or coloring but also as a sign of hope for dogs raised up from dark circumstances, or even for those few dogs, like the Great Pyrenees, the Tibetan Mastiff, and the Anatolian Shepherd, who are naturally somewhat nocturnal.

Dog Names Meaning Dark in Pop Culture

Featured Famous Dog With a Name Meaning Dark

Koko

While the name Koko conjures up images of a large gorilla playing with a kitten for many people throughout the globe, for others, it is the image of an Australian Kelpie breed dog that comes to mind. The canine actor Koko is particularly well known in his country of origin, Australia, for his 2011 portrayal of a carefree canine known as Red Dog in the movie of the same name. Red Dog was loosely based on a real-life story in which a Kelpie-type dog spent several years searching for an owner who passed away and becoming a beloved friend to many of the people throughout the Pilbara area in Western Australia.

Red Dog was himself honored with a statue that can be found in one of the towns he visited most frequently, Dampier. The movie won several awards in Australia, including best film at the Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts Awards and Koko himself won a Golden Collar Award in the Best Dog in a Foreign Film category. It was the highest grossing Australian film in 2011 and is still listed among the top 20 Australian films of all time.

Koko was a star long before he graced the big screen, however. He was born in 2005 to breeders who chose him as a show dog, and by 2006 he had already won Best Exhibiting Group, a prize that typically goes to a more experienced canine. Koko was already three years old when trainer Luke Hura discovered him, and he quickly took to the job, particularly his expressiveness when looking directly at the camera, and he learned fifty new commands for the role he played in 2011. Once the show had been completed, Koko’s previous owners, Carol and Len Hobday, gifted the dog to the producer of the show, Nelson Woss, who brought him home as a family pet.

In 2012, Koko inspired another award when Adam Cullen earned an Archibald Prize for that year with his painting of Koko and Nelson. After the show was over, Koko would often make appearances in exchange for donations to either the RSPCA or for the Perth’s Shenton Park Dog Refuge. Unfortunately, the beloved and talented pooch eventually succumbed to his heart condition at just seven years old in 2012. Nelson Woss declared that people could continue to honor Koki by making their own donations to the refuge.

Dog Name Meaning Dark Considerations

Choosing a name for your new pup that that is easy to clearly pronounce and is easily distinguishable from the dog's obedience commands can help to improve training efforts, and choosing one that makes you smile can sometimes help improve the overall bond that you have with your dog. For many people, darkness is not a thing to be feared, but a source of solitude, comfort, and calm, and they may choose a name based on darkness for their new pooch. There are several factors that can be taken into consideration when choosing a name for your new pet from a list of names that have similar definitions. While most of these names are likely to be appropriate to dogs with dark coats, there are other reasons to choose these names as well. Some dogs, like the Chinese Crested or the Xoloitzcuintli, may have soft, dark skin that particularly lends itself to names like Moritz, Wamuiru, and Pinochos, and a dog that is blessed with dark blue eyes may find a name like Sunil is most fitting. Some dogs are naturally somewhat nocturnal as well, leading pet parents to choose names that refer to the dark of night like Laylah, Koko, and Ratri.

Male Dog Names Meaning Dark

Votes	Name	Vote
0	Erebos A Greek name that means darkness
-1	Kerwin A Celtic and Gaelic name that means little black one or little dark one
-1	Koli An old Norse byname for a dark-complexioned person
-1	Koko A Blackfoot tribe name that means night
-1	Maurice A Latin name referring to a dark-skinned moor
-1	Moritz A German form of the Latin Maurice, meaning a dark-skinned moor
-1	Moriz A Russian name meaning dark
-1	Mørk The Norwegian word for dark
-1	Myrkyr The Icelandic word for dark
-1	Orfeo An Italian form of the Greek name Orpheus, often translated as darkness
-1	Panhsj A name meaning dark-complexioned in Egyptian
-1	Peteng The word for dark in Javanese
-1	Pinochos A Hebrew name from Israel that means dark skinned
-1	Rama A mythology based name from Hindu culture which means black or darkness
-1	Sullivan An Irish surname that is sometimes used as a given name that means little dark eyes
-1	Sunil A Sanskrit name that refers to a very dark blue that almost appears black
-1	Tamal A name from India that means dark tree
-1	Tamno The Bosnian word that means dark
-2	Abnus A Persian name that refers to Ebony wood, which is known for its dark color
-2	Bellinor A French name that means a beautiful, dark person
-2	Cerin A Scottish name that means little dark one
-2	Ciardha A name from Gaelic tradition that means dark or black
-2	Colton An English name meaning from a dark town
-2	Delaney A Gaelic name that means one who performs dark challenges or child of dark defiance
-2	Donker The word dark in Afrikaans
-2	Dowle An Irish name that means a dark stranger
-2	Duff This name means black or dark in Greek
-2	Fosco Used in Latin as a nickname for a dark complexioned person
-2	Harkan A name meaning dark red, from Ireland
-2	Kek An Egyptian name referring to a god of darkness

Female Dog Names Meaning Dark

Votes	Name	Vote
1	Darcy A name that is derived from the place name of Arcy, and means dark one
1	Ebony A name that refers to a particularly dark type of wood
1	Shadow A name referring to shadows and darkness
-1	Adriana A Latin name meaning woman from Hadria or dark one
-1	Cary English name meaning dark one
-1	Charna Name derived from the Slavic word for dark
-1	Devaney A name meaning dark-haired from Ireland
-1	Donella A Celtic baby name that means dark-haired elven girl
-1	Dorcha The Scottish Gaelic word for dark
-1	Dorsey An English name refering to a dark colored person
-1	Efah A name meaning darkness or gloomy in Hebrew
-1	Fitche An Old English reference to a type of darkly furred weasel-like animal known as an Ermine
-1	Giza The word for dark in Swahili
-1	Iluna The Basque word for dark
-1	Keira An Irish Celtic name that means a little dark woman
-1	Lamya An Arabic name meaning having beautiful, dark lips
-1	Leila Hebrew name meaning dark Oriental beauty
-1	Leylah An Arabic name that means night or dark beauty
-1	Maura A Latin name meaning one who is dark
-1	Melania A Latin name that is derived from the Greek word for black or dark
-1	Melinda An English name meaning dark serpent
-1	Nereza An Italian name that means darkness
-1	Ratri A name from the Hindu people meaning night or darkness
-1	Sauda A name meaning dark-complexioned in Swahili
-1	Tamali A name from India that refers to a tree with very dark bark
-1	Tamisra A Bengali and Hindu name that means darkness
-1	Tamsi The Lithuanian word for dark
-1	Tumma The word for dark in Finnish
-1	Wamuiru An East African name from the Kikuyu people that means dark-skinned beauty
-1	Zelda A shortened form of the name Griselda, a German name meaning dark battle