Do You Name Your Car?

We all know someone who has named their car. Whether it's Butch, Jade, or any other name, it shows a true connection between the person and their car. A new study from DMEautomotive reveals some intriguing information about who names their car and what the names are.

To begin, DMEautomotive found that one in five drivers in the U.S. has given their vehicle a name. Out of that group, 40 percent fall into the 18 to 24 age group. That is followed by the 25 to 34 age group with 35 percent. Now you would think that men would be the most likely to personalize their relationship with their vehicle, but you would be incorrect. DMEautomotive found that women are more likely to name their car than men.

As for the names themselves, the majority are female in gender. 88 percent of women have given their vehicle a female name. For men, the results are split. 55 percent of men identify their vehicle as female, while the remainder identify their cars as male. DMEautomotive also found that one in four names happen to start with the letter B. This is evident when looking at the top five most popularly reported names:

• Baby - 4 Percent
• Betsy - 4 Percent
• Bessie - 3 Percent
• Black Beauty - 2 Percent
• Betty - 1 Percent

"While these findings, on the surface, are just plain fun...they also offer an interesting, even counter-intuitive perspective on the relationships car owners, especially women and the young generation, develop with their vehicles," said Doug Van Sach, DMEautomotive's Vice President, Strategy and Analytics.

"The accepted cliché is that men have a more passionate, personal relationship with their beloved cars, while women view them as utilitarian machines that get you from Point A to B. But this research provides a different insight: women are significantly more likely to christen their vehicles, and also associate a female gender with them, while more men perceive their vehicles as male," continued Van Sach. "And while we've seen numerous headlines on the fact that millennials are the least car-passionate generation in history, they're far more likely to personify and name their vehicles. This indicates an emotional and personal vehicle attachment in these demographics, one that auto marketers might want to explore and leverage."