Elephants have names for each other like people do, the study (preprint) “African elephants address one another with individually specific name-like calls” shows.

Wild African elephants address each other with name-like calls, a rare ability among nonhuman animals. Researchers used machine learning to confirm that elephant calls contained a name-like component identifying the intended recipient, a behavior they suspected based on observation. The study suggests elephants do not imitate the receiver’s call to address one another but instead use arbitrary vocal labels like humans.

Links:
Elephants have names for each other like people do, new study shows

African elephants use name-like calls to address each other

Olifantentaal onderzocht met AI: onderzoeker zag ze reageren op ‘naam’

African elephants address one another with individually specific name-like calls (paywall)

Multimodal communication and audience directedness in the greeting behaviour of semi-captive African savannah elephants