Some people (including myself) just really really struggle with names. I've found that people who don't struggle with names don't quite understand how it just doesn't click for other people.
I have to write down the name of everyone I meet in a day and review it before I go to bed in order to even have a chance.
Plus, I have a paralyzing fear of using the wrong name so I don't practice that often unless I'm completely confident.
This needs to be said enough. On the other hand, remembering poems in school wasn't considered "easy" either, so I wonder why people think memory should easy for names, nor why it's a judgment on them that my memory isn't great — I'm agonizing ten times over not remembering, I should be the one hurting lol (definitely am).
It's like numbers. I remember IP addresses and breadcrumbs better/longer than I should, and why is obvious (sysops, web dev, nerd?)
I have to write down the name of everyone I meet in a day and review it before I go to bed in order to even have a chance.
Plus, I have a paralyzing fear of using the wrong name so I don't practice that often unless I'm completely confident.