Are you trying to find out who someone is, but all you have is their social media username?

Luckily, many people use the same or similar usernames on multiple platforms. So you might be able to trace their online footprint and dig out more information about them if you already know their username.

This article will guide you through the process of running reverse username searches with the most effective tools.

1. Google

The easiest option is to use Google to search for the username and see if the same username has ever appeared somewhere else on the internet. When you’re searching, try putting quotation marks around the username to filter out irrelevant results.

If Google doesn’t give you any luck, you can also use an alternative search engine such as Bing and DuckDuckGo to widen your searches and get more information.

Remember, just because you find a profile using the same username doesn’t mean it’s the person you’re looking for. You’ll need to look through their profile details, posts, pictures, and so on to determine if the profile is owned by the same person.

2. WhatsMyName

WhatsMyName is a website that lets you search for a username and find out if it was used on other websites, including social media networks, dating platforms, chat sites, and so on. If the person you’re looking for has created any profiles using the same username on the web, this tool should be able to pick it up.

To use this tool, enter the username into the search box and click the search icon on the left to start the search. You’ll be able to view a list of links to social media profiles using the same username. Click each link to view details about the profile owner and see if you can locate the person you’re looking for.

3. Instant Username Search

Similar to WhatsMyName, Instant Username Search is another powerful username search tool that checks more than 100 social media networks to find profiles using the username being searched. It doesn’t search as many websites as WhatsMyName does, but its search does cover a few sites that WhatsMyName doesn’t.

To use this tool, enter the username you’d like to search for, and the results will appear as you type. If it shows “Taken” under the social media network’s name, it means there is a profile using the username.

You can click the social media name to visit the profile and see if that belongs to the person you’re looking for.

4. Check Usernames

CheckUsernames is a username lookup tool that searches over 500 social networks to find profiles under the same username. The interface seems a little outdated, but it does a decent job of locating people by username from my experience.

5. UserSearch

UserSearch is another free reverse search tool that finds people using their username or email address. It searches over 600 social network sites, dating sites, chat websites, forums, and more.

To use this tool, scroll down to choose your search type – you can choose to search social network sites, dating sites, or search for online profiles by email.

6. Spokeo

While the username lookup tools are helpful in finding profiles using the same username, it doesn’t necessarily give you the identity of the person behind the username.

If you’re looking for an easier way to identify someone you met online, we recommend using a dedicated people search engine like Spokeo.

Spokeo is a people search service that has an extensive collection of social media and dating site profiles. With its reverse username lookup tool, you can find detailed background information about anyone.

To search for someone using a username, go to Spokeo and enter the username into the search bar. Spokeo will search through over 120 social networks and compile the information it finds into one easy-to-read report.

Note that Spokeo is a paid service, but if you’re a new customer, you can get the trial membership for only $0.95. Keep in mind that you need to cancel the membership before the trial ends; otherwise, you’ll be automatically billed $29.95 per month.