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Can you call an IC pin 'N.C' if it has hidden functionality?

The particular IC I ran into this issue with was DS3231 RTC. The pin configuration shows:
![Image alt text](https://electrical.codidact.com/uploads/QZQJANgauLRY5ECaUgergs6H)

However, the datasheet specifies ![Image alt text](https://electrical.codidact.com/uploads/3LREDJFX6SKHkjJaf4CohnTs)

To my knowledge, 'N.C' appears on ICs when it is decided to use a certain package, but not all pins are needed, or leaving extra pins for future versions. Therefore, is it correct to assign 'N.C' to pins that actually must be tied to ground for the chip to function as intended?