Babe at rank 1,471 with 72 records, gender-neutral, is a term of endearment that graduated into official status — written down on a license application exactly as the owner says it daily. The same way Buddy and Baby made it into the registry, Babe represents the informal nickname that became the legal name because no one thought to give the dog anything else.
Term of Endearment as Identity
Babe works as a pet name because it signals warmth and deep familiarity rather than any aesthetic aspiration. The owner who registers their dog as Babe has a very specific relationship with that animal — it's the dog they call Babe the way a parent calls a child by a nickname so often the formal name fades. Casual, intimate, completely unselfconscious.
The Pop-Culture Layer
The 1995 film Babe — featuring a pig named Babe who herds sheep — added a soft cultural resonance to the name, particularly for farm-adjacent owners or anyone who grew up with the movie. A herding dog named Babe has a different energy than a lap dog named Babe, but both reference the same lovable, determined archetype. Border Collies named Babe exist at the intersection of both.
Does It Land?
Functionally, Babe is strong. One syllable, clear vowel, easy to call. The only friction is that it sounds slightly more like a term of address than a name — "Hey, Babe" reads differently than "Hey, Max." That's not necessarily a problem, but it's worth knowing that the name may prompt double-takes from strangers who aren't sure if you're calling your dog or your partner.