Trouble with Names

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When I was a child I was very bad at getting people's names right. I don't mean people I've just met, but people I had known for years. I knew who they were, but it was like my brain didn't always pick out thier name. I even confused my best friend's name with other people's names. I've always done this. Does anyone else have this problem?

Me too. I keep a list of names in my wallet and check it before entering a social situation where I may meet the people listed. This list even includes people I know very well, but I often need to be reminded before hand of their names.

Don't even mention names to me.... >_<;

I've given up trying to identify people by their names at all...
I either give people a personal nickname which only I will use (I've done this with a LOT of people) ... or I'll start referring to them by how they remember them (usually some action they performed in my presence, or a reference to the colour of their clothing on that day).

As a matter of course though, I generally don't name people in their presence anyway. I'll stick to pronouns and vague gesturing in their general direction instead. ANYTHING to avoid having to say a person's name.




But then my attitude regarding my own name is worse. I'm trying to find a way to have it destroyed so I don't need to use a name any more.

This happens 2 me a lot they r ppl who i know well enuff but all i say is alrite mate instead of their full name.

I have been on a course since last September and have only managed to remember the names of a handful of people in my class of say 40.

I'm actually quite good at remembering names.

I did an exercise once at my old course to test memory. It was just for the fun of it.
There were 28 people in my class. Everyone talked to everyone (including saying their names) but not at the same time, for only 1 minute each. At the end, we had to recite peoples names to see how many we remembered. I remembered 21 and came second. The winner remembered 25 names!

I'm horrible at remembering names. Its embarrassing. Sometimes I remember a name, but its not the right one. Lately I've been upfront with people and just tell them I have a very hard time remembering names.

I'm glad to see this asked, had no idea this was common. It was always troublesome to be introduced to all my mother's guests and friends, and not be able to remember their names the next time I met them. I've always remembered particular peoples names, usually because they have some distinctive appearance that helps to associate their name in my memory.

I recall one egotistical friend of hers whom I couldn't remember when he knocked on our door when I was of high-school age, and didn't recognize him either; he was leaning casually against the doorway when I answered, and said "Well, aren't you going to invite me in?"

I replied, not recognizing him, "What do you want?" and he turned, disgusted and angry and left; my mother was not understanding "Oh my God! You insulted H___". He was not a nice person, or he wouldn't have said one day when he offered me a ride home "Can you remember who I am now?" in a sarcastic voice.

I had trouble for almost 9 years remembering the name of the engineer who sat in the cubicle across from mine, despite the fact we all had name tags on our cubes. Sometimes, I'd have to walk back across the company to his cube to find him, or read his tag so I could page him; couldn't remember his name to look it up in the phone-list. I finally put up a list of principal names in the lab so I could page people. With people with whom I didn't work directly I was quite variable at keeping their names straight.

Now that I live with my daughter and son-in-law, I have trouble remembering and keeping straight the names of all his sisters and cousins, some of whom visit frequently.

It's not just names (I've got a good memory, I should be able to store a few names) it's also faces. And sometimes I just don't remember a person at all.

Yeah, I'm awful with names. I doubt I know half the names of the people in the department where I work.

I suck at remembering people's names unless I've known them for a long time and have interacted with them in the recent past. I also have this annoying tendency to forget the name of an object I'm looking for ("hey, where's that thingamajiger? you know, that, uh, thingamabobber-thingy...")

I guess I should try keeping a list of people's names...
I do tend to forget them quite often. I'll still recognize the person if I see them... but the name will escape me.

I am horrible it names. I usually try and associate their name with someone I know or something.
It helps to say their name when you first meet them.

I can remember names, but I don't use them to my parent's the few friends at school are always 'the guys' or 'one guy at school', and I haven't spoken a teachers name ever, in class when i have a question instead of calling out the teachers name I just raise my hand until he/she notices.