That well-known film "When Henry met Sandie"

Surely I cannot be the only one suffering from this strange affliction?!
What am I talking about??
Names!
Names of companies, names of products, names of films, names of places but mostly and predominantly names of people! I just cannot remember names! First names, surnames – even if my life depended on it, I’d still draw a blank 99 times out of 100.
This is bad news, as I prefer to greet people or talk to people using their names, as it is far more personal and friendly. Instead I am restricted to skirting around using language such as “you” or (as if to joke) “the man to my right” or “as my friend over here was saying” – and all because I just cannot remember whether the person who was only introduced to me two seconds ago is called George, Brian, Trevor or Elvis.
Before you ask . . . Yes! I have tried everything from word association to memory games but without the desired success.

Example I:
Colleague: “ESU – meet Brian!”
ESU: “Hello, Brian, pleased to meet you!”
Right, Brian! Brian, Brian, . . . Brian like the snail in Magic Roundabout! Good!!
Five minutes later
What was his name?? Dunno!! Eeehhhmmm, eeehhmmm. . . (bright spark in frontal lobe) Magic Roundabout!!
ESU: “So then, Dougal, how did you get here?”

Example II:
ESU: “Hi, Gary, meet Gill and John!”
Gill: “Gill and Tom!”
ESU: “Right, sorry, Sue and Tom!”

Incredibly and most annoyingly I can remember numbers indefinitely.
Phone numbers including dialling code for example – tell me once and I’ll still remember it in a few months time.
I know my credit card numbers (the long ones across the middle of the card) and their expiry dates and their security codes without ever looking at the cards themselves.

Surely that must be far more difficult then remembering a simple name??!!?
If anyone out there has got any good tips, I’d sure be glad to hear them!