property/way to give instance name to sprites created from array loop

i have some AS3 code that loops through an array creating sprites for each item in the array and places them on the stage. i would like to be able to give a name or something so that I can reference the sprites and  control them. i am hoping there is a way to do this.  is there a sprite property i can set while looping through my array? or another way of doing this?