How do I find someone is something we are often asked by our customers each day.
There are two ways you can find someone.
- Pay a trace and intermediary agency to find them for you.
- Find them yourself.
In this short article we’ll explore both answers. My name is David Oates, I am the Head Researcher at Relative Connections, you can view my LinkedIn by clicking here. I am also the director of the adoption support agency which is regulated by Ofsted.
If you would like help to find someone, contact us on 0113 282 5900.
We provide a no obligation telephone consultation. On this call we explain our process and provide an accurate price for your search.
But let’s start with finding someone yourself.
These methods are great for finding a wide range of people. This could be
So, when we are talking about ‘finding someone’ – it could be any of these people.
Firstly, a quick word of warning.
When you are trying to find someone, take care. Please make sure the websites and search tools you use are reputable.
Most are but it is worth a quick check. A great way to check is via Google reviews or Trustpilot.
Looking to see if a website has any testimonials on it, is good practise.
Right, let’s get started.
How do I find someone myself?
Here is a list to work through.
- Compile everything you know about the person
- Ask around to see if any friend or family know anything more about them.
- Ask yourself what could have changed.
- Could they have married. Could they have moved. Could they have died.
So, lets show you how.
Could they have married or died.
This is straightforward to find out. You do this via birth, death, and marriage records. In Scotland you can do it on Scotland’s People. In England and Wales, you can use Find My Past and in Ireland you can use Ancestry.
You can search death records and marriage records.
So, try that first.
If you find that someone has passed away, please consider getting emotional support. You can get this from a doctor or a medical professional. It is good to talk to friends and family. There are also support groups.
If finding this out causes you to have feelings of suicide, then please call 999 or the Samaritans on 116 123.
Once you have someones name
Once you have someone’s current name, finding them becomes easier.
Also, if there is no record of a death on the mentioned websites that doesn’t mean they are 100% alive. It does take time for these records to update.
For a more accurate record you can use the General Registry Office website. Again, this is not accurate to today.
Even if you are looking for a man, search marriage records.
It is easier to find two people than one.
So, if you find that your ‘someone’ is married. You now have some-two!
Hopefully you have found records about your person.
You are on the case. You are moving your search forward. You are writing down your findings. You are feeling like you can do this.
And can now start your search via social media and electoral roll searches.
How do I find someone using Google?
To use Google to find someone, type in “their name” in quotations, then type in an area.
Press return.
You will be able to see what matches you find to help with your search.
You can type their name and other details about them to see if there are any matches.
Other details may include what they did for a living or what hobbies they have.
In effect you are searching across the whole of Google for stories or articles about your person.
Again, beware of namesake as it might not be your John Smith, just a John Smith.
Have a play around. Try different things and see if you can make progress. If you do add it to your notes.
How do I find someone using Facebook?
To use Facebook to find someone, create an account, it is free to use.
Once you have an account you can search for people by typing in their name.
Each user has their own profile so you can see what the person you have found looks like. If you can’t find them, you might find other people they know.
Over 1 BILLION people use Facebook, so it is likely that your person is on there. It doesn’t have a great search function though. So, look for people who might know your person. Look for their partner.
Once you’ve tried Google and Facebook. You can try address style searches.
How Do I Find Someone using the Electoral Roll?
There are specialist data websites like 192.com where you can search for people to get their address.
Be careful and please don’t start knocking on someone’s door.
Sites like 192 and Trace Genie allow you to search via name and location. If there are any matches, all matches will appear.
The site is not saying that it is your person they have found.
Rather it is saying there is a name match.
You’ll then need to work out if any are the right one. Some of the data will be redacted. You can then pay a fee to obtain that data.
Be careful as costs can rise quickly.
They are good and they do have a place in the ‘how to find someone’ world. So, make sure that you have a match and not just a namesake.
Make sure that if you do get your persons address that you do the right thing with it.
You can of course get lucky on these websites.
Many people do.
So, what should you do if you do, get lucky?
Firstly congratulations. You have found your person.
Now comes the tricky bit. The contact.
How to contact someone once you have found them
Without wanting to sound like a sales pitch. Please consider using an intermediary service.
An intermediary knows the correct way to make contact. A way that protects all parties. A way that provides good safeguarding and puts checks in place to protect people.
When you have found your person on the internet can contact them. You should be able to do this via an email, a messenger service such as Facebook Messenger or even a phone number.
Don’t go in with both feet. Keep calm and respectful. Give your person the chance to think and to process too. A very short message might work. Something like, I think you might be someone I have been looking for.
If you have used an address finding website. Please don’t go to the house and knock on the door. This is far too invasive. Take a step back and not a step forward. Have a good think.
Then write a short letter. Keep it brief. Consider if someone else opens the letter. Don’t land your person in trouble with other family members. They will appreciate your discretion.
Send the letter. If you send it recorded delivery you will know it has arrived. If you add your contact details, then they will be able to contact should they wish. Don’t include your address. An email address is a great first way to open the path of communication.
Good luck.
But what if you try all this and it doesn’t work, what next?
Well, it might be time to call in the experts.
Using a Tracing Agency to find someone
As the UK’s premier people tracing company, over many years, finding people is something that we do all day every day.
As we have shown you there are many things that you can do to find someone you have lost touch with.
However, you will never be able to access the same level of data as a tracing agency.
This is because we are licensed and regulated by various government bodies.
Our licenses allow us to be able to access accurate, high-level data.
The advantages of a good tracing agency
- The work is done for you. You can sit back and let an expert do the finding.
- If you choose a good agency, you will be emotionally supported. This can be a huge relief for many people.
- You will be protected. You are not exposed to the person you find in the same way. The tracing agency can handle the contact. This means any initial reactions can be dealt with.
- They will be protected. What if it not a good time for them. We can work with your person to ensure they are supported too.
- Safeguarding is paramount. Today, it is important to safeguard you and your person. We do this through good practises and regular safeguarding meetings.
- A Tracing agency will find hard to find people. This might be because they are in another country or have changed their name.
As you can see there are advantages to using a tracing agency to find someone.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this guide called how do I find someone.
If you would like help to find someone, contact us on 0113 282 5900.
We provide a no obligation consultation. We will explain our process and provide an accurate price for your search.
A short find someone story
A lady used us to find her ‘someone’ – her someone was her brother.
We found him. She was interviewed by the Daily Mirror.
You can click here to see our testimonials including the Daily Mirror article.
We hope we have helped answer the question How Do I Find Someone.