Summary: names act as labels for the present percepts that are directly known, guaranteeing the existence of the object denoted. However, Russell's later view was that only present percepts could be named and that memory, as an indirect form of knowledge, relied on present experience. The theory of descriptions played a crucial role in this shift, demonstrating that any percept outside the specious present could only be described, not named. This limited role of names in Russell's system raises questions about their necessity, hinting at a possible revision of his theory of names in the future.