If you’re anything like the average American, you spend more time in the car each day than you do around the family dinner table. So perhaps it’s no surprise that many of us name our cars as though they were members of the family—an act that’s led to the October 2 being designated as Name Your Car Day.
But just why do we name our cars?
“We name our cars because it gives us a sense of control over them,” says Dr. Carole Lieberman, a psychiatrist in Beverly Hills, Calif. “Most of us are not mechanics who understand all the inner workings of this big piece of machinery that we depend on to protect us. All we know is that our lives are in the hands of something that roars.”
Naming cars makes us feel safer because it humanizes them—and humans behave in ways we can anticipate. According Nicolas Epley, a professor at the University of Chicago, once we’ve named a thing, from a hurricane to a ship, we start seeing intentionality in its behavior. So when things go right—“The Beast” gets us safely home over icy roads or “The Silver Bullet” dashes up a big hill with ease—we appreciate the car’s performance as though it were a personal favor. We start thinking of our cars not just as companions, but as trustworthy and highly competent. “My daughter named her car Jeeves, after the fictional valet,” adds Dr. Lieberman. “She finds great fun in telling him, ‘Take me home, Jeeves!’”
Strangely enough, even when something goes wrong, we don’t lose faith in cars that we’ve named. One study put drivers in self-driving car simulators that got into an unavoidable fender bender. When the car was not anthropomorphized, the drivers wanted to punish it for the accident; when the car was given a name, gender and voice, the drivers still rated its competence highly and reported more positive driving experiences in spite of the (simulated) collision.
If you’re looking for a good name for your ride, start in one of the three basic categories:
• A favorite human name (Betsy, Suzy and Fred are popular ones)
• A spin on the car’s actual brand name (Corey the Corolla, Bug the Beetle, Minnie the MINI Cooper)
• A comment on the car’s appearance (Old Blue, Big Red, Green Machine)
Or take inspiration from some of our readers’ favorites:
#MyCarsNameIs “Beast” because it should have died two years ago but it’s still running today. #GEICOMore
— Philip Mintac (@1LTMintac) September 14, 2015
@GEICO #MyCarsNameIs AJACCS (Pronounced ajax) Lol we got rid of “Velma” and the kids put our initials together for the New van! #ACRONYM — Jennifer Batchelder (@MzJLynn82) September 14, 2015
@GEICO #MyCarsNameIs Carl, Carl the car.
— Jason Hyett (@jrhyett) September 15, 2015
Is your buddy borrowing your baby? Here are some important questions to ask before you let anyone behind the wheel of your vehicle.
Chris Matthews says,
My current car, a red Hyundai Elantra, is named Lana after Lana Turner, cause she’s all curvy! My previous car, a silver Toyota Solara was “Sylvie the Bullet Solara” or “Sylvie B” for short! I ALWAYS name my cars, and they are usually females like me.
Carl Barnes says,
My cars name is Bumblebee, because it is a yellow 2010 Camaro.
Kathleen Doyer says,
I named my new Hyundai Tucson Phoebe after my favorite stuffed animal that I had as a child.
Edward Otero says,
My ? name is Jeter because it’s Yankee Blue
Wayne Kirklin says,
My Jeep Liberty’s name is pugnacious but we call him puggy for short , from the front it Lois like a pug dog
Aubrey says,
“The UDM”
The Ultimate Driving Machine……BMW e39 M5
Lecretia says,
I name my cars not because of any control needs, but because we’re going to be together for a long time. I had my last car over 12 years and Lilly was a used car. This also makes them new for ME! I’m dependent on my cars taking care of me. The least I could do is name them! Right Ginger (my current car)!
Lee says,
Goldie
Lee says,
2012 Chevy Impala aka GOLDIE!
Tom Laga says,
I named my 1992 Ford Taurus “Tauri” [pronounced”Taw-ree] 24 years ago and I still drive her as my primary car.
I named my 1982 VW Vanagon “Vana.” Not Vana White I’d tell people; she’s Vana Gun, but she’s just Vana to me and I still camp in her.
Sharon Delgado says,
My 2002 Jeep Liberty is named Jasimoon…”Simoon” was the name of a wild jaguar in a movie I watched&the “Ja” is for Jeep! *;)
Lynn says,
My Honda Accord’s name is Grace. Because that’s what l’m shown every time I arrive at each destination safely!
Irma says,
I have a Kia Rio and his name is Miguel Rio! I always name my cars. I had a Taurus and my granddaughter named him Timothy Taurus. My Camaro’s name was Stanley Camaro. Guys give their cars names like Betsy or Susie so I give my cars names that are guys names…
Randy and Maria R says,
Hi our cars name is Santa as in Santa Fe. She gives safe rides all year round.
loretta says,
My Liberty is named “SPIKE”..handsome devil jeep is…
C says,
My Range Rover Sport is named Duchess. She’s kind of prissy and temperamental at times, but she’s takes good care of me.