Definition
Names and memory as a concept is the deliberate practice of attending to, recording, and using other people's names — and the small details attached to them — in subsequent encounters. Carnegie famously calls a person's name "the sweetest and most important sound" in their language. The principle generalises to any specific detail about the person: their partner's name, their dog, the project they mentioned, the city they grew up in.
The point is not the linguistic significance of the name itself but what using it correctly signals: that you noticed, that you cared enough to remember, and that the other person registers as a specific human rather than a generic interaction.
Why it matters
How it works
A working system has three parts. Capture — at the moment of first introduction, repeat the name back ("nice to meet you, Sarah") and use it once more in the next minute of conversation. Store — write it down somewhere durable, with a small note about the context. Refresh — before any subsequent meeting, scan the notes so the name and at least one detail are loaded into working memory.
The discipline that does most of the work is the willingness to ask "sorry, what was your name again?" the moment you realise you have lost it. Asking immediately is a small embarrassment; asking three meetings later is a large one.