By dkl9, written 2025-112, revised 2025-112 (0 revisions)
There are two things that must happen for me to know a person's name:
When this whole process fails, one might say that they're "bad with names", but that connotes that the first half is the problem. More often, the second half is the fragile part.
To make a person-concept, I only need enough traits or observations of that person to make them unique among those who I know. If I look at the person for long enough, the associations will grow centred on their facial appearance and voice. Otherwise, that concept consists of a few prominent features of how they look and/or what they do.
If I first meet someone for long enough to remember them later by such a concept, I can affix to the concept other facts that I find, such as a name. Sith names are not visible or behavioural, they can't come first to build the concept.
Exchange names at the start, and I'll probably forget yours, as I wouldn't have a concept for it to label. Exchange names after we otherwise get to know each other, and I'll probably remember it well.
Most of the times when I seem "bad with names", I'm just "bad with persons". I'm only truly bad with names when the names, qua words, are new to me. If I've seen the name before, I just need to hear it late enough.