diff --git a/tsc/internal/checker/flow.go b/tsc/internal/checker/flow.go
index d2831231772fe..4967fcbe4ec16 100644
--- a/tsc/internal/checker/flow.go
+++ b/tsc/internal/checker/flow.go
@@ -1610,8 +1610,19 @@ func (c *Checker) isMatchingReference(source *ast.Node, target *ast.Node) bool {
 		if ast.IsThisInTypeQuery(source) {
 			return target.Kind == ast.KindThisKeyword
 		}
-		return ast.IsIdentifier(target) && c.getResolvedSymbol(source) == c.getResolvedSymbol(target) ||
-			(ast.IsVariableDeclaration(target) || ast.IsBindingElement(target)) && c.getExportSymbolOfValueSymbolIfExported(c.getResolvedSymbol(source)) == c.getSymbolOfDeclaration(target)
+		if ast.IsIdentifier(target) {
+			return c.getResolvedSymbol(source) == c.getResolvedSymbol(target)
+		}
+		if ast.IsVariableDeclaration(target) || ast.IsBindingElement(target) {
+			// A declaration's symbol is named by its identifier, so a reference with a
+			// different name cannot resolve to it. Checking names first avoids loading
+			// the symbols of every unrelated declaration seen while walking flow nodes.
+			if name := target.Name(); name != nil && ast.IsIdentifier(name) && name.AsIdentifier().Text != source.Text() {
+				return false
+			}
+			return c.getExportSymbolOfValueSymbolIfExported(c.getResolvedSymbol(source)) == c.getSymbolOfDeclaration(target)
+		}
+		return false
 	case ast.KindThisKeyword:
 		return target.Kind == ast.KindThisKeyword
 	case ast.KindSuperKeyword: