I assume people do this as a result of Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People: > Remember that a person's name is, to that person, the sweetest and

I assume people do this as a result of Carnegie's How to Win Friends and Influence People: > Remember that a person's name is, to that person, the sweetest and most important sound in any language. This may have been sound advice in 1936, but maybe we've just changed socially? There's a subtlety here: people like it when you remember their names, but they find it creepy if you don't have an established relationship. If you meet someone again in a business or social context, saying "Hi, X, right?" is a reasonable way to improve rapport. Definitely better than the awkward moment where you re-introduce yourself to someone you've already met. However, when you're trying to haggle a mobile contract upgrade and the rep is constantly using your name, that's uncanny valley.