How To Search For People Online  

If you want to find a person online, you’re not alone. It’s not hard to get more information if you want to search for a relative, reconnect with an old friend, or even find a person named in a will.

This article has some of the best tips on searching for people online in 2023 and beyond. Your chances of success are practically guaranteed.  

Prepare Information

Prepare all the details you have on the person before you begin your search. Even something that seems unimportant can help you find them. As a bare minimum, get the following details:

• Name and aliases, if applicable 
• Place of birth
• Date of birth 
• Previous partners
• Information about friends and relatives
• Approximate age
• Previous employers
• Interests or hobbies 
• Colleges or high schools where they went
• Any criminal convictions 
• Property or vehicle ownership
• Social media profiles

Talk to mutual friends if you have very few of these details. They might have some additional information. Armed with this, you can begin your real search. 

Use Google To Search For People Online 

Not only is googling someone an easy way to get more information about them, but it’s also free. The mother of all search engines has a set of advanced commands that you can avail yourself of to make your search effective and optimized. Searching for a common name, even if it’s a full name, will yield you an unexpectedly high number of results. Make sure you enclose the name in quotes so Google searches only for the text between the quote symbols. Your chances improve if you add other relevant information, like their last place of employment or their place of birth. This can generate very specific search results. 

Use public data

Try to recall if the subject of your search was married or divorced or another significant fact about them. Eventually, this might help you get clues as to their whereabouts. Marriages and divorces are public records, so this data is accessible, although the laws vary between states. Birth and death records are governed by stricter rules than marriage and divorce records. 

The county clerk usually maintains this information. Sometimes, you can access records online. Get in touch with the clerk’s office for more details.  

Use a people search site

Today, people search engines can provide data on social media accounts, background records, and even contact info. It’s not difficult to find information on anyone, including a new partner, roommate, or neighbor. You can do a free people search, but these websites will typically only provide a bit of basic information. Paid services can retrieve more in-depth information, including details on property ownership, marital status, relatives, etc. 

You can look for people online using their first and last names, addresses, or cell phone numbers.

Facebook

Facebook is a tried-and-true method of reconnecting with relatives or friends. As of 2021, Facebook was the biggest social network in the world, with 2.85 billion users active monthly. The person you are looking for has an account, in all probability. 

You can use various search parameters, like their first and last name, phone number, email address, or anything else you can remember. You can also look up any college, school, or company they were associated with.

Username search

It’s possible to search for usernames via some online resources. If you only have a username, this is a very feasible option. You can do this on dating apps, social networks, forums, etc. 

Use Linkedin To Find Someone 

LinkedIn is also an effective but often underestimated way to reconnect with people. You can search for all registered users in its large professional network database.

Ideally, you’d enter the full name of the person you are looking for. You’ll get information about their education and employment history, and professional connections. To get their email, simply log into your LinkedIn account and send a request.  

Find Them Using Zillow

You can use Zillow to find them if all you have is their old or current address. However, this reverse search will work best if you have some other details in addition to the address.

A search on Zillow can yield a lot of information about the property itself, so it’s a handy search if you want to buy a home 

These resources can be helpful in locating lost friends or family members, but keep your expectations realistic as things might not turn out the way you want. If you do manage to track down that special someone, greet them with an open heart and mind.