This Have we Met? article explains why we sometimes can’t remember names:
We all know that sinking feeling that comes when we just can’t remember someone who clearly recognizes us. So imagine how uncomfortable life might be for a person incapable of recognizing anyone–even a close friend or relative–by face alone. Preliminary results from a recent survey suggest that up to 2% of the general population may be afflicted by this condition, known as prosopagnosia or face blindness.
It turns out that a certain fraction of the healthy population has prosopagnosia.
