How do you remember names?

@TheHorse (226212)

Walnut Creek, California

November 19, 2023 9:44am CST

I have about 25 guitar and piano students now. I print out a schedule, so I can remember everyone's name when they come for a lesson. But one newer student's account is in his mother's name. He is a piano student, and he has some natural talent. He sings along when he plays, like Keith Jarrett and Glen Gould. But he sings in key. He is about nine. For his first two or three lessons, I couldn't remember his name. I knew it was "unusual" and "cute." So when his father called him "Benji" a couple of lessons ago, I secretly thought "Disney Dog." and then "Benji Molina, professional baseball catcher." It worked! Now I say "Hey, Benji! What do you want to work on today?" when he comes for a lesson. Psychologists call what I used "mnemonics": memory devices to help you remember stuff. "Every Good Boy Does Fine" is a mnemonic for the lines on the treble staff. I will post my "naughty" mnemonic for the cranial nerves on Craig from Iowa's After Hours platform. How do you remember names?

17 people like this

19 responses

@DaddyEvil (147453)

• United States

19 Nov 23

I usually don't try to remember names... If I remember them, that's fine. If I don't remember a person's name, I call them "sir" or "ma'am". Or don't call them anything.

4 people like this

@TheHorse (226212)

• Walnut Creek, California

19 Nov 23

People like hearing their names, though. When I hear Alee's (she's seven now) little siblings call me "Horse," like they've known me all of their lives (which they basically have), it warms my heart.

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@DaddyEvil (147453)

• United States

19 Nov 23

@TheHorse Sometimes people don't get what they like.

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@TheHorse (226212)

• Walnut Creek, California

19 Nov 23

@DaddyEvil Brilliant statement? Or obviosity? Heh. Isn't it almost your bed time? The sun is in my eyes right now (it is rising to the Southeast).

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@Rimps85 (2534)

• India

19 Nov 23

I deal with approximately 40 students in each class across 3 colleges & many names are common, I remember them by attaching their locations to it....so I know in college A, location X is where Sneha is from & college B's Sneha is from location Y

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@TheHorse (226212)

• Walnut Creek, California

19 Nov 23

Heh. At the College, I never remember everyone's name. I have a few "anchor" students, and go from there.

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@TheHorse (226212)

• Walnut Creek, California

20 Nov 23

@Rimps85 For me, they were just people who engaged a lot.

@Rimps85 (2534)

• India

20 Nov 23

@TheHorse yes, those are class-representatives...whose names need to be remembered :)

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@much2say (57522)

• Los Angeles, California

19 Nov 23

I'm actually good with names - I don't know how, I just remember. All my life I have appreciated those who remembered my name (and most people don't because it is not a typical name). So I guess I've sort of made it a mission to connect a person to their names right away - they are often shocked I can recall it next time around.

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@much2say (57522)

• Los Angeles, California

26 Nov 23

@TheHorse Oh yes, I remember those conversation nuances too - that's a way to get them to remember who we are too. But in most cases "they" still wouldn't remember MY name

.

@TheHorse (226212)

• Walnut Creek, California

19 Nov 23

I am about average in remembering names overall. But I DO remember nuances of conversations had in the past. That surprises some people.

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@FourWalls (74401)

• United States

19 Nov 23

How do I remember names? To paraphrase Tom Lehrer, “Poorly, poorly, po-or, L-Y.”

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@TheHorse (226212)

• Walnut Creek, California

19 Nov 23

Heh.

2 people like this

@LadyDuck (473770)

• Switzerland

19 Nov 23

I usually remember with no need of mnemonics with a few exceptions. For those I do as you do, I associate the name to someone famous I like.

2 people like this

@TheHorse (226212)

• Walnut Creek, California

19 Nov 23

Sometimes it's just an old friend, or something like that.

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@LadyDuck (473770)

• Switzerland

19 Nov 23

@TheHorse Sometimes even an object that sounds very similar to the name.

2 people like this

@TheHorse (226212)

• Walnut Creek, California

19 Nov 23

@LadyDuck I will use whatever works.

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@NJChicaa (122714)

• United States

19 Nov 23

I struggle to remember names for the first month or two, especially if they are quiet students. It takes me awhile these days to remember everyone.

2 people like this

@TheHorse (226212)

• Walnut Creek, California

19 Nov 23

I never remember everyone.

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@May2k8 (18516)

• Indonesia

20 Nov 23

I generally recognize faces and voices, not all of them I know their names.

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@TheHorse (226212)

• Walnut Creek, California

20 Nov 23

I remember conversations.

1 person likes this

@allknowing (145144)

• India

20 Nov 23

With some it takes time but eventually, I get there.

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@TheHorse (226212)

• Walnut Creek, California

20 Nov 23

I get there...usually.

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@Fleura (31598)

• United Kingdom

19 Nov 23

I was taught 'every good boy deserves football'. The one for biological classification was rather too risque and we had to re-invent it.

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@TheHorse (226212)

• Walnut Creek, California

19 Nov 23

LOL! I'm glad you know it! (Did it begin "Oh oh oh to touch and feel..."?) Like you, I am too "civilized" to mention it here.

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@Fleura (31598)

• United Kingdom

19 Nov 23

@TheHorse No, obviously you know something I don't. Now I want to know what that is! I was thinking of the mnemonic to remember phylum, class, order, family, genus, species.

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@TheHorse (226212)

• Walnut Creek, California

19 Nov 23

@Fleura Don't forget "Kingdom."

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@JudyEv (352633)

• Rockingham, Australia

20 Nov 23

I try to connect them to something or someone like you did with Benji.

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@TheHorse (226212)

• Walnut Creek, California

20 Nov 23

Benji who? Just kidding.

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Anindita Sengupta

@aninditasen (17032)

• Raurkela, India

20 Nov 23

I used to remember names when I was a teacher years ago but I think I can't remember now.

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@TheHorse (226212)

• Walnut Creek, California

20 Nov 23

I am doing my best. Sometimes I cheat and peek at my student list as a student is walking in.

@Hannihar (130204)

• Israel

20 Nov 23

@TheHorse That was a good idea how you could remember his name after his father said it. I used to work at a place and I never met the people but by their voices I could remember their names and called them by name and they were very impressed. Now I am lucky I remember my name and my cat's name.

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@TheHorse (226212)

• Walnut Creek, California

20 Nov 23

Heh. I gave Kitty an easy to remember name. I think each of her slaves has called her something different.

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@Hannihar (130204)

• Israel

21 Nov 23

@TheHorse My cat came with the name watermelon and I thought that was a strange name so I changed it and she is now 9 years old.People change names if they do not like it and call them something different. I guess it depends on the owner.

@LindaOHio (187979)

• United States

20 Nov 23

Sometimes I don't have any problem remembering names. Sometimes I use a common word to remember a name. Like "hey!!" for Hayden. Hope you have a great day.

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@TheHorse (226212)

• Walnut Creek, California

20 Nov 23

Yeppers I do the same kind of thing.

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@porwest (99528)

• United States

20 Nov 23

Well John, wouldn't you like to know? I mean, you have to remember I was in sales, Matt, and as such I had to remember all sorts of people. Steve, it was really simple. Just pick a detail, you see, Eric, like a crooked eye or a square nose, and then associate that detail with a name. Presto. Voila! And just like that, Shawn, you can see how easy it is to remember a name. Nice chatting with you again, Mike, it's been real.

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@TheHorse (226212)

• Walnut Creek, California

20 Nov 23

I like the sales technique of finding a similarity with the potential customer. When I would mention I had a horse, sales people would hestate and then say, " My wife's cousin had a horse!" or something like that, Jim.

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@porwest (99528)

• United States

20 Nov 23

@TheHorse Actually the technique of association does work well. It worked well enough for me, and I had hundreds of customers.

@rebelann (113904)

• El Paso, Texas

19 Nov 23

I don't always remember names until I'm more familiar with a person

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@TheHorse (226212)

• Walnut Creek, California

19 Nov 23

Same here.

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@wolfgirl569 (115601)

• Marion, Ohio

19 Nov 23

I am terrible at names.

@RasmaSandra (84651)

• Daytona Beach, Florida

19 Nov 23

When I instructed people in English in Latvia at a couple of institutions for the first week I had the adult students put on name tags after it got routine. It was a lot easier when I had people come to my house for lessons privately,

@Fleura (31598)

• United Kingdom

19 Nov 23

Not very well I have to say!

@spiderdust (14756)

• San Jose, California

19 Nov 23

I am terrible for remembering names, but I remember faces. Sometimes I can't remember why I remember the face, even though I recognize it. I have seen Costco cashiers in line while out getting pizza and have excitedly waved to them, knowing I recognized them from somewhere, only to get confused waves back because I don't actually know the person well at all.