Greg -> Keg, Robert -> Robber, Elisabeth -> Lizard Bath. Help me make a giant list!

November 5, 2011 4:25 AM

Greg -> Keg, Robert-> Robber, Elisabeth -> Lizard Bath. Help me come up with a list of image mnemonics for as many names as possible!

I've been practicing using mnemonics for every name I encounter, so that when I meet someone new, I can recall them doing something with the object that sounds like their name, and then remember their name later. It becomes really effective and quick once you've developed a good set of images for each name. The goals are:

1. Unique to that name (Different image for Christina and Christine, for Laurel, Laura, Lauren, etc.)
2. Should be something that you can see (Molly = Jolly won't quite cut it. Molly gets mauled is a bit better, and Molly covered in Mold is decent, though it'd be nicer if the first syllable really sounded the same)
3. Try not to reference other people (Although if they have something visible that's unique to them, then that's acceptable - Michael could be doing the moonwalk or wearing a white sequined glove, Mike could be biting someone's ear off)


I could use help with these specific names, since my images aren't great for them:

Johannes, Johanna, Johann, Andre, Andreas, Andrea, Andrew, Manfred, Anita, Eva, Florian, Flora, Laura, Lauren, Marcus, Ana, Anne, Anja, Ariana, Sophie, Sophia, Amanda, Coletta, Timon, Timo, Helen, Helena, Ellen, Elena, Kathy, Katharina, Catherine, Paul, Luca, Luke, Lukas, Benjamin, Ben, Benedict, Maria, Martha, Alexandra, Renate, Christine, Christina


There's a fine list [here] (http://mnemotechnics.org/wiki/Memorizing_Names_and_Faces#Ron_White.27s_Methods), though several of the images don't really do it for me.

If this starts getting a lot of responses, I'll figure out some way to get my names into a list form (right now they're Anki flashcards) and post it here

posted by sdis to grab bag (15 answers total)

Well that link didn't work; here's a working link toRob White's list

If you're wondering what names to try, why not start with yourself and your immediate circle of, say, 5-10 friends and family members. That should generate a pretty varied list.
posted by sdis at 4:27 AM on November 5, 2011

(And don't worry about doing a name that's already been done, having a few choices for a given name is a good thing)
posted by sdis at 5:10 AM on November 5, 2011

Sophie = Soapy

Timon = meercat from the lion King

Bennedict: eggs Bennedict!

Andre was a sea lion in a movie I remember as a kid.
posted by titanium_geek at 6:25 AM on November 5, 2011

Andrew = Ant drew, an ant holding a drawing

Anne = Picture Anne of Green Gables, she liked Anne with an 'e' because it was prettier.

Helena = "Hell in a handbasket" picture a basket

Luke = picture a lightsaber

Christine = makes me think of that scary car from the Stephen King book
posted by TooFewShoes at 6:34 AM on November 5, 2011

This is a little obtuse, but my name is Ellen and I use natural log for a lot of usernames (like here!) because natural log is written as ln which sounds like my name. So you could picture a log in the woods or something. Probably not helpful. (Alternately, you could picture a train in Chicago (the El) pulling in to something.)
posted by naturalog at 6:41 AM on November 5, 2011

Anita - ant eater
Christine - phantom of the opera mask
Florian - a large gold coin (florin)
Flora - a bunch of flowers
Sophia - the Haga Sophia
Johannes - your hands
posted by fearnothing at 6:43 AM on November 5, 2011

Johannes -> Yoga Harness
Johanna -> Your Honor
Johann -> Yolk On
Andrew-> Ant Drool
Manfred -> Manta Fried
Eva -> Heaver
Florian -> Full Lorry End
Flora -> Floor Rug
Ariana -> Hairy Onion
Coletta -> Cold Letter
Ellen -> "L" End
Elena -> Hull A Nut
Paul -> Paw
Luca -> Loo Cold
Luke -> Nuke
Lucas -> Locust
Maria -> My Rear
Alexandra -> Elects Hundred
Christine -> Crisp Queen
Christina -> Crossed Wiener
posted by argonauta at 6:56 AM on November 5, 2011

Tom -> Atom Bomb
posted by tommasz at 7:06 AM on November 5, 2011

Alright, rather than marking all of these as best answer, I'll just thank you here. :) Keep 'em coming; these are great.
posted by sdis at 7:10 AM on November 5, 2011

Joe - GI Joe

Andre usually sounds like On Dray, and a dray is a type of sled. So picture Andre "on a dray"

Anita: Sounds like "I need a" so think about what she was holding when you met her, a beer, a bunch of flowers, a book "Anita beer"

The most famous Eva that I know of is Eva Perrone, and you have that famous balcony scene from the movie Evita.

Florian and Flora are both "flower" names, so picture each holding huge huge bunches of flowers. (Florian is the masculine version of Flora, if I'm not mistaken)

Laurel wreaths/crowns were worn by the winners of the original Olympics. So, Laurel gets a crown of laurels.

Helen of Troy is famous. Just think of the Trojan horse when you meet her.

Amanda is "NOT a man, duh!" and that gives you her name, after the not.

Paul means Rock, so....just imagine he is a great big boulder. Or if he's a littler guy, a pebble.

Benjamin is a hundred dollar bill. So just make the guy a tall C-note.

Ben sounds a bit like bent. So bend him over in your mind, or fold him in half, or whatever. This works even better if his last name starts with a D or a T (bend or bent.)

Maria is the key character in "Sound of Music" ... "how do you solve a problem like Mariaaaaaaa?"(so she could be a math equation?)

Martha - to mar is to damage with a mark. So "mar the _____" maybe what she was sitting on, or wearing, or talking about.

Mark - give him a big check mark on his shirt. Or imagine he's got a birthMark.

Renata often sounds like "Ray Nada" a ray of sun shining on nothing?
posted by bilabial at 8:26 AM on November 5, 2011

Paul means Rock

You're thinking of Peter.
posted by redfoxtail at 8:37 AM on November 5, 2011

Marcus= Mocos (boogers for non-Spanglish speakers)
posted by pickypicky at 9:32 AM on November 5, 2011

Paul means Rock

You're thinking of Peter.

indeed, I am. An atheist should know better than to attempt recall of the religious significance of names without checking.

Thanks!

Paul, however was an apostle, so you can look into the apostles and figure out their meanings and then envision those guys when you meet folks with apostle names.
posted by bilabial at 10:02 AM on November 5, 2011

Oh, this is fun:)

Alexis --> Lexus sedan
Cathy --> Catheter
Christine --> Crystalline
Colletta --> Collector
Michael --> Mike & Ikes (the candy)
Nicole --> Nickel
Noelle --> Knoll
Renee --> Wren
posted by invisible ink at 11:07 AM on November 5, 2011

Amanda --> A mandolin
Ana --> Anime
Anja --> Awning
Paul --> Pollen
posted by invisible ink at 6:13 PM on November 5, 2011