to call (by a name); to name
「称える」 has another reading with different meanings.
自らを王と称える人物が現れた。
A person appeared who called himself king.
その男は自らを預言者と称えた。
The man called himself a prophet.
彼女は自らを芸術の守護者と称えている。
She calls herself a guardian of the arts.