How to Match a Name With a Cell Phone Number

By Brandy Alexander

Updated September 18, 2017

A reverse phone lookup can help you discover who is calling you.
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Although a person can call you anonymously, you do have the option to find out who is calling you from a particular cell phone number. Online tools that perform a reverse phone lookup can match a name to a number. Many of these services are free, but you may need to use paid options to get the information. Using four common methods, you can find out who the caller is in a matter of seconds.

Free Online Reverse Phone Lookup Services

  1. Point your browser to a free reverse phone lookup website. Common sites include Zlookup and Spy Dialer (links in Resources).
  2. Click the "Lookup" tab directly on the mobile device graphic on Zlookup, enter the cell phone number you are investigating and then click "Name Lookup" to perform your search. Using Spy Dialer, click the "Phone" link, type the number and then click the "Search" button.
  3. Wait for the site to display the caller's name. This process usually takes less than a minute before providing the last name of the person registered to the cell phone number.

Paid Online Reverse Phone Lookup Services

  1. Navigate to a site that performs a reverse phone lookup for a fee. Common sites include Whitepages, Intelius and Spokeo (links in Resources).
  2. Click the “Reverse Phone Lookup” or “Phone” option and type in the cell number you are investigating. Click the “Search” option to continue.
  3. Review the results to see the caller’s name along with other associated data such as city or state. If the caller has a privately registered number, follow the site’s instructions to pay a fee and retrieve the name in a report.

Social Media

  1. Log in to your social media account, such as Facebook or Twitter. Searching a phone number enables you to find out if the number is associated with a particular profile.
  2. Type the full number in the search box. 
  3. Review the search results. Profiles set to private do not appear in the results.

Search Engines

  1. Bring up a search engine such as Google, Bing or Yahoo.
  2. Enter the full number (including the area code) in the search box.
  3. Scroll through the listings to see where this number shows up on the web. Note that the most relevant information appears within the first few results.

Tips

You also have the option to use a reverse phone lookup app on your mobile device. Options for Android include RealCaller and TruthFinder, while CallerSmart and Number Guru work on iOS (links in Resources).

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