Midnight ranks at #261 with 434 entries, sitting in the descriptive-name tier where appearance does most of the naming work. Black cats and black dogs land here at the highest rates, and the name has been a quiet steady-state pick for decades — never trendy, never absent.
The literal-color tradition
Color names like Midnight, Shadow, and Ebony cluster among owners who pick first impressions over reference points. They are honest names that read instantly to anyone meeting the pet, and they sit comfortably alongside Shadow and Onyx on appearance-driven shortlists. Midnight differs slightly because it adds a time-of-day register — slightly more poetic, slightly less utilitarian than Shadow.
Where Midnight lands
Black cats carry the name disproportionately, with black Labradors, black mixed breeds, and Bombays also over-indexing. The three-syllable shape (MID-night) calls cleanly outdoors, and the hard consonants give it carrying power that Shadow lacks. Owners cross-shopping similar appearance picks also consider Raven and Ebony.
The counter-reading
One reading worth flagging: appearance names can age awkwardly if a pet's coat changes, which happens with some breeds as they mature. The name still works because Midnight functions as a register more than a literal description after the first few months. The Midnight baby name page shows it has never been a meaningful human pick, which is part of why it reads so cleanly as a pet name — no crossover confusion.