How To Remember 100 Names

How to Remember 100 Names

In nearly every public show I’ve done for the last two and a half years, I’ve memorized the names of everyone in the audience. It’s my universal closer.

It’s impressive, yes. But it also shows the audience: I care about you. I see you. I remember you.

Unlike a Diagonal Palm Shift, this won’t take years of practice in your basement. This will take effort, but it’s easier than you think, and is a real-world skill that you can apply to all of your shows.

Even if you don’t do a lot of stage performances, there’s nothing like thanking everyone by name at a strolling gig, or just having command of the room at a dinner party.

So, how do you remember 100 names in one go? Let’s start with one name.

The First Mnemonic

“Hi there! My name is Max, and I’m one of the magicians performing on the lineup tonight. What’s your name?”
That’s all it takes. Approach a stranger, ask them their name, and listen.

Now, don’t commit it to short-term memory (like repeating it seven times or writing it in your notes app). Commit it to long-term memory. How? Create a mnemonic.

Let’s say you meet Jeff and Rachel. When I think of the name “Jeff,” I think of a “chef,” and then, a large white chef’s hat. When I hear Rachel, I think of the Friends character. If Jeff and Rachel are a couple, I might imagine Rachel trying to cook in Monica's apartment from Friends. She’s wearing a chef’s hat to make herself feel like what she’s doing is real, but in reality, she’s just making an enormous mess. This links Jeff and Rachel.

Additionally, the bigger the “mess” in my head, the easier it is to remember. Images that are weird, oversized, undersized, and grotesque stick out the most.

I’ll then link that image to whatever Jeff and Rachel look like or are wearing. Maybe Jeff is in a bright green shirt–great. The chef’s hat is now green in my head.

Before you protest, “That takes way too long,” keep in mind that it took me significantly longer to write that than to think it. In practice, it takes maybe 10-15 seconds.

How do I get to 100 names?

The way you memorize 100 names is the way you memorize one name. You just do that same strategy as many times as you can. But let’s get into the specifics of how you can practically scale this skill.

The actual challenge is doing it repeatedly, under pressure, and not messing up. Those are the details I’ll get into below:

The Lineup Show Hack

Memorizing names on a lineup show is much easier because you can review the names while other performers are on stage.

I would highly encourage you to try this on a lineup show when you’re not the first act, because you’ll have extra time to practice and can work up the confidence.

Eventually, you’ll be able to do it in a solo show (which I’ve done plenty of times), but a lineup show is a perfect safety net.

What happens when you meet a larger group?

A human’s short-term memory is usually limited to 6-7 distinct objects. Or, in this case, names.

So, if you hear four names (like, a group of four people), you will have enough time to go from short-term memory to a mnemonic without forgetting anything. This is where traditional short-term memory strategies are helpful. Repeat the four names a few times just enough to give you a mnemonic, then lock it in.

If you meet five or more people, I’d recommend breaking it down into smaller groups. Learn three people, walk away, and come back and meet the final few.

What To Do Immediately After You Hear The Name

The way we’re taught to remember information is wrong–you can’t just say something over and over and expect it to stick for more than a few minutes. You need to take those 10-15 seconds to really commit it to memory.

I know so many people who think this sounds like “too much work.” I promise you it’s not. It’s way more work to go back through the room a second time to review the names that you forgot because you didn’t remember them in the first place.

My rule, generally, is that I’m not allowed to move on to the next people until I’ve reviewed everyone else.

Let’s say I remember the first ten people in the room. I’ll quickly review those ten names before I move on to the next two. This ensures that I don't speed too quickly and end up with ten names that I need to go back and confirm.

Learning names is a constant process of constantly reviewing them.

Focus on Quality, not Quantity

Let’s say the room has fifty people. I’d rather meet only forty people and get them all correct than meet all fifty people and only remember forty with ten mistakes.

Because you’re doing this for real, the audience understands that if you didn’t meet them, you won’t remember them. While it’s awesome to memorize the entire room, a mistake is very personal here. Nobody wants to be the one person whose name you forget.

It is infinitely better to get everyone you meet correct than to stretch yourself and miss people because of it.

In short, you do not have to memorize the entire room. It’s great when you can, and once you get experience, it’s worth it to stretch yourself. But when you’re first starting out, this is unnecessary.

Last year, my goal was to memorize every name at the Chicago Magic Lounge (105-110 people). My first night there, however, I only memorized eighty names, because I simply didn’t have the bandwidth to remember everyone. The next night, with more comfort and confidence, I nailed the whole room.

Should you use your phone to take notes?

I used to meet someone, write their name on my phone, and review the names later. That was a horrible method. It seems safer, because you’ll always have a backup on your phone, but it just delays the memorization and makes it harder.

The key, genuinely, is to trust that your brain is capable of doing this. Because I promise that it is. Go slow to go fast. Slow down in the moment, learn each name, and you will be able to learn the whole room without your phone.

There are, of course, exceptions to the rule. Every once in a while, I’ll get a very complicated name, and rather than memorizing it on the spot, I’ll write it down, go backstage, and commit it to memory when I have a moment to think.

The more complicated the name, the more satisfying it is to get right, and the better that person will feel. Someone named Alex has had a very easy life. Someone named Divya (a pretty common name, but still one that’s bound to be mispronounced), has probably had their name messed up more times than they can count. You’re giving them the gift of hearing them correctly. That’s a wonderful thing.

How To Review During The Show

I’d be lying if I said this was easy. If you’re doing this at the end of your show, it means you need to retain the names for, sometimes, an hour. How do you do that?

First of all, if you actually use a mnemonic, it will stay with no effort. That’s the point of a mnemonic. It’s memorable.

And it’s not like you’re leaving and getting coffee. You’re staying in the same room, thinking about the show, looking at the people. You will remember them.

You can review names while you’re on stage, and here’s how:

1. Find moments of silence where you can think. I do a needle swallow in my show. There’s a good 30 seconds of silence when the needle is in my mouth and nobody is speaking. I’ll usually take that time to scan the crowd and go over any names I’m shaky on. It may sound ridiculous to do that during a trick, but because I’m so comfortable with this routine, and I’m not trying to talk over it, I find this quite simple.
2. Anticipate people’s names before they say them. I don’t like to reveal that I’ve memorized everybody’s name during my show (I want it to be as much of a surprise as possible). So when I call on them, I might say “remind me your name?” Or “Say your name, again, so everyone can hear?” This implies that I remember we met, but I want everyone else to hear it. Right before they say their name, say it in your head, and make sure you get it right. If you don’t, no worries! They just told you.
3. Have a routine where you can talk to a lot of people. Basically, have a routine where you can talk to participants in an inconsequential way, like having them examine an object. For me, it’s my memory routine. I can talk to so many people because I’m handing out objects for examination, calling on people to Google information, and getting cards selected. I can literally get seven names if I need to.
4. Invent reasons to ask people their name. Say you’re doing a book test, and you want to review two people’s names, but you’re only talking to one person. John is remembering a word, and you think that Stella is sitting next to him, but you’re not 100% sure. So, as you’re doing the book test, you can say something like “What’s your name? Stella? Stella, can you make sure as John does this that all the pages are genuinely different?” You can always invent a reason to call on someone.

The Cristina Dilemma

There are so many variations of this name. You might hear Cristina, Kristy, Krista, Kirsty, Christian, or Chris. It is imperative to get these right. Often, you’ll get a Cristina on one side of the room and Kristy on the other. It will get an audible gasp if you say, “Your name is Cristina, and yours, not to be confused, is Kristy, right?”

For names like that (Laura/Lauren, Michael/Mike, Jen/Jennifer), create a completely different mnemonic for each name.

For example, when I hear Laura, I think of a covered wagon, because of Laura Ingalls Wilder from the book Little House on the Prairie. But when I hear Lauren, I think of a wren carrying a judge’s gavel (law, LawWren). So, even though the names are nearly identical, the images are completely different.

If you don’t do this, you’ll miss these names that are really close to each other, and you need to get them right. People respect this kind of precision. If someone introduces themselves to you as Michael, you are wrong if you say Mike.

The Hannah/Anna Dilemma

This is, by far, my most common mistake. Rooms are loud. It’s very easy to mishear someone. I’ve called someone named “Hannah,” “Anna,” many times. This is tough because you remembered the name, but you memorized it incorrectly.

This will happen. It’s almost unavoidable. The best way to prevent this is to repeat the name back to someone, often several times, to make sure you get it right.

“We didn’t meet, right? But your name is Carla?”

This is one of my favorite subtleties. Sometimes, when I’m meeting people, they’ll have a seat saved. I’ll often ask for the name of the friend who hasn’t arrived yet. They tell me, I remember it, and I get a great moment at the end. I’ll point to someone and say, “We didn’t meet, right? But your name is Carla?”

It’s pretty funny how large a reaction this gets. Again, it’s ok if the “method” falls apart after the show. I’m not presenting it as a trick. I just want to add some texture to the reveal.

But, if you give their friend a wink before the show and say, “Ok, I’m gonna tell Carla her name, never tell her how it works,” they’ll usually giggle and comply, because they’re now in on the trick.

They will stand. Don’t force it

The way I (and most people, all the way back to Harry Lorayne) present this trick is by having the audience stand up. Then, as I name each person, they sit down.

I can’t tell you how many magicians have suggested that I do the opposite–have everyone stand so that it ends in a standing ovation. A few thoughts here:

1. In my opinion, forcing your audience into a standing ovation feels needy. Don’t do it.
2. It completely kills the drama of the routine. Having 5 people remaining, standing, is so much more dramatic than 5 people sitting.
3. On a practical level, it would be way harder to even see the people who are sitting than the final people who are standing. If you do this well, it will likely lead to a standing ovation. It’s an incredibly impressive feat. Do not force it.

Don’t bother looking at the ticket list

It might be easy to comfort yourself by looking at who bought tickets before the show and trying to remember those names. I think that’s a waste of time for multiple reasons:

1. The person who bought the tickets might not be the person who shows up. They could’ve bought the tickets for a friend. They could’ve gotten sick and given them away. You just don’t know if memorizing that name is worth your time.
2. The name they bought the ticket under might not be what they go by in real life. This happens so often. Memorizing Alexander and then switching to “Alex,” “Lexi” or any of its variants would take more work than just memorizing the correct name in the first place.
3. If you can do it for real, in the moment (which you can), there’s no reason to try to do this before. It’s just a complete waste of time.

Sometimes you have to be brave

The ultimate version of this trick is getting the entire room. This means you have to be a bit ruthless. Not rude. But ruthless. I’ve climbed through rows of seats, interrupted conversations, and been a little bit awkward to make this work.

Again, these are minor interruptions. It’s completely ok to tap people on the shoulder and say “Hi! I just wanted to welcome you to the show. I’m so happy that you’re here.” Yes, it’s a little strange, but the payoff is entirely worth it.

What happens when you mess up?

It’s foolish to assume that you’ll never mess up. You will. What’s far more likely to happen than purely forgetting, though, is changing the name.

For example, I can only think of 2-3 times ever (out of thousands of names), where I’ve straight up whiffed. Like. Zero clue what the name could be.

When I miss (which is still pretty rare, but it does happen), I’ll usually swap a syllable (I remember meeting someone named Nayha and I unfortunately said Hayna. Or, I’ve missed Mike and Michael.

While not ideal, it’s important not to let this scare you. Any trick will go wrong. The key is to minimize your mistakes. And if your biggest problem is Mike/Michael, you’re doing just fine.

So, how hard is this really?

The memorization itself is quite easy. Anyone can create a mnemonic. Doing it under pressure is the challenging part.

While you can practice at home (early on, when I’d watch TV, I’d try to clock the names of characters the first time I heard them), you can really only practice on stage.

Here are a few easier ways to do it:

1. Do it in a strolling gig. Don’t present it as a trick; just call on as many people by name as you possibly can.
2. If holding the names in your long-term memory intimidates you, open your show with it. It’s an incredibly strong opener, and it means that you don’t have to retain the names for as long.
3. Start small! Even 20 or 30 names is impressive. I promise, with practice, 20 names will be as basic as a double lift.

Anything takes practice. To have a trick that’s so impactful for so many people is entirely worth it. I wish you luck. Oh, and if you enjoyed this, feel free to check out my substack, where I write about my journey as a professional magician.