Finding someone when you only have their first name and town can be challenging, but it is possible with some detective work and clever searching. In this article, we’ll go over some steps you can take to track down a person using limited information.
Search Facebook
Facebook can be a great place to start your search. With over 2 billion active users, there’s a good chance the person you are looking for has a Facebook profile. The search bar at the top of the Facebook homepage allows you to search by name and location. Try entering the person’s first name and town. Make sure to try variations on the name spelling as well. For example, search for “John Smith New York” as well as “Jon Smith New York.” Since Facebook profiles are public, you should be able to view the profiles that match your search. Browse through them looking for any identifying details to confirm if you have found the right person. Photos and mutual friends can give you clues.
Keep in mind that if the person has a common name, your Facebook search may turn up too many results. In that case, you can try narrowing it down by adding their workplace, school, or other details to the search. For example, “John Smith New York Acme Company.” The more unique details you can add, the better chance you have of zeroing in on the right profile.
Search LinkedIn
After Facebook, LinkedIn is another great social network to utilize in your search. LinkedIn profiles tend to contain employment and education information that can aid your search. Use the search bar at the top of the LinkedIn homepage to look for the person’s first name and location. As with Facebook, try variations of the name spelling. LinkedIn’s search allows you to filter by location, so you can specify searching just within their town. The results will show profiles along with places of employment and education. Look for any familiar companies or schools to help confirm the right match.
If the person has a common name, add their company or school to the LinkedIn search to narrow down the results. The more additional identifying details you can include, the better. Make use of LinkedIn’s filtering options for location, industry, company, and more.
Search Google
Your next step in the search process should be Google. Google indexes a vast amount of content across the internet, so there’s a possibility it could lead you to the person you are seeking. Try searching the person’s first and last name in quotation marks along with their town. For example, “John Smith New York.” This will ensure Google looks for that exact phrase. Browse through the search results looking for any promising matches.
Check social media profiles, newspaper articles, and web pages for any details to confirm if you have the right person. Adjust your search terms to include a middle name, place of work, or other unique identifiers if you’re finding too many results for a common name. Make use of Google’s tools to filter by date range or limit results to pages from a certain country or region if possible.
Search Public Records
Public records databases can also assist your search. Sites like BeenVerified, Truthfinder, and PeopleFinders compile public data like property records, marriage/divorce records, voter registration, and more. There is often a fee to access certain records, but basic searches by name and location are sometimes free.
Search on sites like these using the first name, town, and any other details you may have. Browse through the search results looking for the right age range, middle name, addresses, or family members. Does anything match up with what you already know about the person? Use clues like this to determine if you have the correct individual.
Try Social Media Search Engines
There are search engines designed specifically for scouring social networks. Sites like Pipl, PeekYou, and Spokeo trawl platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and others to aggregate data. Enter the first name and location into these search engines to see what profiles they find across the social web. Again, look for familiar names, faces, employers, etc. to determine if any results are a viable match.
Search Whitepages
Whitepages collects phone record data that you can search through. Enter the first and last name along with city and state or zip code. Results will display age range, known addresses, household members, and phone numbers associated with the name. See if any of the information lines up with what you already know. Phone numbers can be especially helpful in confirming a match.
Consult Mutual Connections
Reach out to any mutual connections you may have with the person. Check your contacts, friends lists, and professional networks. Ask anyone who may know the individual if they have any additional contact information for them. A phone number, email address, social media handle, or place of employment could aid your search.
Even if mutual connections don’t have direct contact info, they may know details like the person’s middle name, spouse’s name, where they went to school, companies they’ve worked for, etc. Any additional personal details like this can help you confirm identities during your search process.
Search Property Records
Property records include information like property ownership, deeds, mortgages, and tax assessments. They are public record, so you can request searches on properties connected to an individual’s name. Resources like PropertyShark and RealQuest let you search by owner name and location. If your search turns up promising addresses, you may be able to confirm based on what you already know about the person.
Search Court Records
Court records document an individual’s legal history, including small claims cases, bankruptcies, divorces, estate cases, and more. Resources like SearchSystems allow searches by name and location. Finding a legal case associated with the person can provide confirming details like date of birth, past addresses, and relatives’ names.
Search Local News Archives
Local newspaper sites and TV station sites often have searchable news article archives. Search old articles and obituaries for any mentions of the person’s name. Results may include details about their employment, education, family, or local events they attended.
Check Photo Tags on Social Media
Manually browsing through photo albums of mutual connections on social media can turn up tags identifying the person you seek. Even if their account is private, they may be tagged in public photos on a friend’s page. Click through the tagged name and see if the profile matches who you are looking for based on photos and info.
Search School Alumni Directories
Most schools have alumni directories students can opt into to reconnect with classmates after graduation. You can search these by first and last name along with graduation year. If you have an idea of what school(s) the person attended, browse the appropriate alumni site for possible matches.
Search by Email Address
If you happen to have on record an email address associated with the individual, this can be a powerful way to track them down. Use sites like EmailSherlock and IntelTechniques which use the email to find associated social profiles, addresses, and names.
Search Username Variations
Come up with username variations based on the person’s name and birthdate and search those on social networks. For example, if looking for someone named Jennifer Smith born in 1982, search jennifersmith, jennysmith82, jen1982smith, etc. You may find an associated profile under a variation of their name.
Enlist a Private Investigator
If all else fails, you may need to call in the experts. Private investigators have access to in-depth personal data sources and search tools the general public does not. They can legally pull credit reports, DMV records, criminal records, utility records, and more. They have sophisticated background check databases at their disposal as well as field agents who can conduct in-person searches and interviews. Their expertise comes at a price, but they are often able to successfully track down subjects with very little information to start with.
Conclusion
Searching for someone with minimal information is challenging but doable by being resourceful and persistent. Leverage social networks, public records databases, news archives, school alumni directories and all other available data sources. Follow up every lead, double check details, and gradually you can piece together enough information to track the person down successfully.