Anthropomorphism describes the tendency to assign human attributes, such as personality, emotions or intentions, to non-human entities, such as animals or inanimate objects. Factors that determine or influence anthropomorphism include the human’s need for social contact or the object’s appearance and movement. In the present study, we investigate whether naming –assigning a personal, individualized designation to a specific object, device or appliance – leads to anthropomorphism independently of other factors. Our experiment used an online questionnaire to examine the effects of different modes of naming, e.g. to see whether first naming a specific a motor vehicle and then calling it Schorsch or Flitzi rather than referring to it by no name at all (‘the car’), by the company or brand name (‘ACAR 180), or a pre-chosen proper name (‘Speedy’) would increase the likelihood of anthropomorphism and its attendant effects. The study found that a self-chosen proper name was associated with significantly higher values in terms of anthropomorphism than at least one other mode of naming. These findings have potential applications in marketing, such as increasing consumer referrals or product sales.