To anonymize something is to take the name or names off it — and often other details that would point to a person — so that people cannot tell exactly who it belongs to or relates to. Data workers, hospitals, and researchers use this verb a lot: they anonymize a spreadsheet before they share it. It is a technical, modern word, more at home in reports than in kitchen talk. The everyday way is take the names off. British spelling is often anonymise. Though actually, anonymized data is not always as hidden as the word suggests. If enough little facts remain — a rare job, a small town, a date of birth — someone clever can still guess who is who. So the word names the attempt, not a magic lock.