What's going on when you forget the name of someone you know well?

I just blame it in chemo-brain, but I really think it’s senioritis, and I’m distracted.

Have had that happen. Senior brain; the mice just miss the path in the maze sometimes.

It’s usually because their zipper is down. XD
I am just distracted by other things

I blame it on the Matrix.

It’s not uncommon at any age, especially when you run into somebody out of context—a co-worker in a restaurant, for example. I just joke it off by saying, “I must be having a senior moment… can’t recall you name.”

I have always had a problem with names. It’s not that people are not important to me. It’s just that the part of my brain that stores names is apparently defective. And yes, the problem has gotten worse with age.

I had the experience just last night. I stopped in for some beer and conversation with a friend that I have known for more than a decade. Afterwords when I talked to my wife she asked where I was and I told her I stopped on the way home to have a beer with…. that’s the point I drew a total blank…

I blame it on having a brain fart!

I suck with names….all names… Movies, businesses, people…..lol it’s really bad, after you tell me your name….I will forget it within 5–10 min…But I can remember what you were wearing, where we talked and what we talked about…

other than that I have an amazing memory…. I can pick any dvd case of a movie I’ve seen and within 10sec remember the movie in detail (like I just watched it) lol

@coffeenut I got you beat! I can forget a name within seconds of being introduced to someone. I’ve even been known to pick up my head a minute later and say, “What did you say your name was?” With an apologetic shrug.

My ex-girlfriend came to my apartment 3 months after we broke up. I forgot who she was and what her name was, but she seemed familiar, so I let her in. It took a few minutes for me to figure it out. We went out for almost 1½ years(!), but things went badly towards the end. I guess I really wanted to forget the whole experience.

@wundayatta – I used to have the same problem. Now I say the person’s name back to him “hi, xxx”, then say that it will take 3 times before the name sinks in. And after 3 reminders, it sinks in. My friend told me that this is the way to get your subconscious to work for you. If you say you are bad with names, your subconscious will go ahead and forget names.

@RocketGuy I’m not really concerned about losing names immediately. Or even after a few weeks, if I haven’t seen the person much. It’s losing the names of people I know well that bothers me. Repeating their name three times wouldn’t make a difference. I might use their name several times a day.

Where do these names go? You’d think that the mental pathways would be well-traveled. But all of a sudden some roadwork needs to be done, and you can’t find the name any more. What is that roadwork? What’s up with that?

@wundayatta I carry a little notepad with me…..if I get a name I need to remember I write it down…..business cards help as well…

@RocketGuy that doesn’t always work…I have tried every way I could find to “help” remember things…...It has improved my general memory….but not names…lol

Me and my brother have had this problem our whole lives. It can be very embarrassing. Using the little tricks, like repeating someone’s name a few times when we meet doesn’t help at all. Or trying to visualize the person with their name doesn’t help either. It’s really awful, when you forget someone’s name who you work with or went to school with or a neighbor. We’ve always been this way. Me and my brother have learned not to expect each other to introduct each other to people, we both just jump in and say, “Hello I’m so and so’s sister, Kardamom, what’s your name?” Otherwise, we’d both just die of embarrassment.

Interestingly, we’re both very verbal (written and spoken) and very visual, but when it comes to names, there’s just no connect for us. It’s awful.

My father (never a shrinking violet) had a great line when he called someone by the wrong name and was corrected by them. He would say, “When did you change your name?” Always brought a chuckle.

Great line, @janbb! I’ll (try to) remember it.

@janbb I love that. I hope I can remember to say that the next time.

@coffeenut – GA for the notebook idea. I’m implementing it now.

Ahh…those brain farts…I get them alot with names :/

It is brain vapor-lock. Just do like I do. I rename the person in question.

The name of one guy at work is Pock and I call him Cob.

One time I called a women at work “Gertrude” she said, “Do I look like a Gertrude? My name is Matilda”.

Also I called a man at work “Ramon” and his real name is Mondo.

I don’t feel so bad for all the re-naming that I do because people do it to me.

Stress coupled with fatigue and I forgot my OWN last name. Honestly . I’ve only had 3 but still.

@who-ever-you-are….It just happens. Hey, you know, it happens when we’re young too. But when you do it when you’re older it tends to freak you out a little more

In my household names are usually several tries, it goes something like this: JJ – Mr T – Toby stop that. (Toby is the dog).

Stress has away of making people forget things.