Meaning and background
The story behind Bagheera
Bagheera is the black panther who guides and protects Mowgli in Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. The connection is established directly in Kipling’s own text, where Bagheera is male, rather than relying on later film adaptations. Although inspired by South Asian animal vocabulary, the safest dog-name explanation is the identifiable literary character. The name has a flowing three-part rhythm in English.
- Origin
- The name of the black panther in Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book, closely associated with Mowgli. Source
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About Bagheera
Recorded as a dog’s name
Bagheera appears in 3 dog licence records in the 2023 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — all seven available extract years, retrieved 24 October 2026 — Recorded name spellings in NYC licence-period rows, extract years 2016–2018, 2022–2024 and 2026. Evidence selects one stated year per name. Annual snapshots overlap; never sum them as unique dogs. No national popularity, etymology or owner naming-intent claim.
- City of Seattle Seattle Pet Licenses — DOG-only name aggregate, current source dated 6 October 2026 — Secondary spelling corroboration from dog-only licence rows. No cats, owner fields, national ranking or unique-dog claim.
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.