Thanks to RJ (@RalphJaquez) and Ralf Becher (@TIQView) I’m starting to understand this a little better.

RJ lays it out well “One way to think about it is that a chart object – no matter what it is, wants to aggregate. Even though you can write an expression that does not aggregate, really the charts power is with aggregation.
When you try to use fields that cannot be aggregated, like text fields, the chart will do things that don’t make sense.”

Following this if you create a table box with Name, Area or Area, Name it will display correctly. In fact I wonder if you can think of a table box as just containing dimensions?

As mentioned in the comments, if you really wanted to do this “I would put both fields as a dimension and then put an expression like =count(Area) or =count(Name)” and then hide the expression.

One other way I pondered, make a dimension Area & ‘-‘ & Name, Area, and expression name. Then hide the Area & ‘-‘ & Name Column.