People Search
May 13th, 2008Searching for Someone on the Internet
There are a number of ways you can search for someone using the Internet, and the more information you have about a person, the easier your search will be.
If you have an individual’s date of birth, Social Security number, and their last known address, then you’re off to a good start. However, don’t abandon your search if you don’t have all these pieces of information, you can still locate someone with just a name.
Very few of us manage to go through life leaving no trail: there are records pertaining to most of what we’ve done over the years including driving records, marriage – and divorce – records, and birth records. The information on a birth record is considered public knowledge in most US states and can be obtained by just about anyone. A birth certificate provides detailed information about an individual including his or her parents’ names, and their county or city of birth. To obtain a copy of a birth certificate, contact the local Vital Statistics Office and follow the instructions for ordering a copy of the certificate. There are also a number of online databases that can provide birth information, but not the actual certificate, and you can search the databases using an individual’s name and their estimated age. There are also a number of vital records search sites that can provide updated information on individuals, which could be particularly useful in your search.
If you have just a name and no other information then your search will take longer but it’s not impossible to find someone with just this piece of information. Typing the individual’s name into an online search engine such as Yahoo or Google should bring up results if the person you’re searching for has his or her own Internet homepage, has published content online, or has posted a comment to an online forum; you might also be able to obtain the individual’s email address this way. However, if the person you’re searching for has a common name, then this method might not be particularly productive.
If the person you’re searching for is someone from your past, then you might want to try using one of the online organizations that aim to put individuals in touch with their old high school friends. Classmates.com has over 5 million self-registered alumni and is the largest US and Canadian high school directory on the Internet.
If you have an individual’s name and the name of the city in which they live, you can search for them using the various online telephone directories. If you’re searching for someone using their email address, then it’s best to go to the email service provider’s website to see if they have a searchable directory of their members.
A Voter Registration Record, which is filed at the county courthouse, contains an individual’s full name and address; their date of birth and Social Security number may also be included on their Voter Registration Record. This information is considered a matter of public record and is available upon written request (a nominal fee is usually charged for the information). Write to the county in which you think the person you’re searching for is located.
There are a number of ways to search for someone using the Internet, and with a little effort and ingenuity, it shouldn’t be too difficult to trace them.