When it comes to locating someone on Facebook when you know only their name, lots of people think that it could be hard because they don’t know other information about that individual. However the new technologies for social media search engines and algorithms have lots of options to search and find that lost person or old friend on Facebook.
This happens a lot when we see someone in a public place or online and what we know about them is their first name. Fortunately, by trying different strategies, here are the best ways to search and find people’s Facebook profiles online by name only.
Dedicated people search tools
In reality, there are many different systems that search for people online. But only a few of them work like this one by typing the name of the person. Then, if you know where he or she lives, add that. Let the program find the person behind on different social media sites like Facebook, Instagram, etc…
The big advantage of this method is its ability to find all the personal information about people through their first name and state only. Even better, it could bring more data than what the user asked for.
For example, some of these search engines show where that person actually lives, or let’s say, their last known address, what they do, and what they have such as contact information like a phone number or emails.
The only issue with these advanced people search systems is that you can only use them in the US. This means if the person you are looking for has moved to other places or countries outside the United States, chances are, the details will be outdated. But even with these contact details, you still are able to locate them on Facebook by tweaking your search.
What about social media search tools?
There are a couple of sites where users try to find people, especially on Facebook. But there is no guarantee that these platforms find the accounts on Facebook. In reality, many, if not all of these sites use the Google advanced search system. Thus, they just offer what everyone can do with Google directly and for free. That’s why using any of these sites will be just a waste of time.
That being said, there are still some good websites that search social media sites by name. You can try them to locate that person you’re missing and want to find again. Also, you can try sites like the White Pages or their alternatives for your local area if there is any site.
Facebook search system
The Facebook search system works well, and all you need, such as information to start with is the name of the person you’d like to locate. Then, choose what city or state you think they live in. If there is any extra detail you have in mind about them, add it to your search, it can help.
Now, If you remember a city or a place where you saw that person last time, it’s a good idea to add it because that helps in finding a possible Facebook account, comment, or page.
Don’t worry if you find lots of similar Facebook profiles in the name you searched for. That’s what you can expect if the person you want to look at lives in a big city like New York or others. You can overcome that obstacle by adding some search filters like a specific place, or job title if you know any of these details.
If you expect that the person has an account on Facebook dating, then, it won’t be easy to find them without matching their profiles.
To do that, it’s better to have a secondary account because you’ll need to enable the Facebook dating features which is not what you need in reality. But once you have that special account access, use the search filter and try to match with that person’s details if you remember some of them like interests, color, height, etc… It’s just another chance to locate them when all the details you have about that individual is his first name only.
Try Google
Locating a specific person on Facebook if you know their first name only should not be an obstacle with Google search. However, it’s recommended to take note of every piece of detail you have about that guy or female.
Think about that as a way to tell Google where it should search for that person’s profile on Facebook. When you refine thousands of search results, the page will be short with possible Facebook profiles of the name you searched for. The more information you add to your search query, the better and faster for Google to search, and then find the specific profile on social media networks.
Other ways
If you don’t remember the last name of that person, and you couldn’t find them on any site, including Facebook, why not think about the time and location when you met? If it was a train station, you can come back at that specific time of the same day, and see if he or she’ll be there waiting for his trip.
That can look strange to many, but in reality, when you miss a person that you saw in a public place at a specific time. Try to be there again, and who knows, you may find them.
Also, if the last time you saw that missing person in a hotel, restaurant, or even a cafe, it’s a good idea to ask people there about the last name of that person. Of course, you have to tell them about their name, hair color, average height, etc. in order for them to identify him or her. And once you get their full name, it will be faster to use the above search site and find them.
This is how you can find someone on Facebook through their name only. Make sure you collect as much information as you can from every try until you have a clear overview of that person’s presence on social media sites or the Internet in general.
If the long-lost friend you want to locate on social media has moved to another country, it’s better to see if there is a local search engine there. In many places in the world, there are dedicated search directories for missing people, relatives, colleagues, and friends. Try that and see what you get as options using Google search or other alternatives.