How to Find Out Someone’s Age: Is Your Date Telling the Truth?
Simple and smart ways to do your own research
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Maybe you just had a great date with someone you met on a dating app. The conversation flowed, the vibe was right. But…they seem way older than what their profile says. You can’t just cut them in half and count the rings like a tree, and asking directly might be a bit awkward or inappropriate. Relax, there are other ways to find out someone’s age, including doing a bit of online digging. In this guide, we’ll show you how to satisfy your curiosity (or confirm your suspicions) while keeping it classy.
Why finding out someone’s age can be important sometimes
On online forums, you’ll find countless stories of people finding out their partner or date lied about their age. Some say that out of the five people they dated in the past two years, three claimed to be in their 40s but were actually in their 50s[1]. Others don’t find out the truth until years into a relationship, or even after getting married[2].
Lying about age is surprisingly common. Some do it because they’re afraid their real age will scare off potential matches. Others adjust their birth year to bypass age filters on dating apps, making it easier to match with younger people. And then there are also those who add a few years to sound more experienced and mature. Online dating makes all this almost too easy. With no ID checks or verification, people can present themselves however they want. Some just shave off several years, while others go as far as crafting an entirely new identity (and that’s catfishing by definition).
That’s why it’s better to check early rather than find out too late. Otherwise, you might find yourself stuck wondering: We really like each other, should I end things over this? Or worse: if they lied about their age, what else might they be hiding?
Some situations aren’t that serious, but it still helps to have an idea of someone’s age early on. For example, you recently have a crush on someone but don’t want to risk making things awkward. So before making a move (like asking them out), you’d rather check if there’s a big age gap. This is especially useful when their looks give you no clue about how old they actually are.
Table of contents
Strategy #1: Google them like a pro
Sometimes, a simple search on a search engine can reveal a surprising amount of information about a person, including their contact details, age, and more. You may pull up a bio or an old interview where their age was mentioned. Or perhaps you can discover news articles or online resumes with work history that didn’t align with the age their partner had given.
Strategy #2: Check their social media
LinkedIn:
LinkedIn can be particularly helpful for figuring out how old someone is. Many professionals create detailed profiles that include their work and education history. Education details—such as the year they graduated from high school or started college—can serve as a great reference point for estimating age. Most people graduate high school/start college at 18. Some may finish earlier if they have an early birthday or later if they repeated a year. So, while it may not be 100% accurate, the difference is usually only a year or two.
Besides LinkedIn, platforms where people readily share their daily lives, like Facebook and Instagram, are also worth checking out.
Facebook:
Some users might have shared their major life events on Facebook, like graduations or job changes. Even without direct age clues, Facebook’s About section details (like work, school, places lived) can offer valuable leads. You can use this extra info to repeat the Google search we mentioned earlier. (Similar to searching on LinkedIn, you can simply enter the person’s full name and apply location filters to refine your results.)
Instagram:
For many, Instagram has now become the go-to platform to share every little moment of their lives, especially among younger generations. If you take the time to scroll through their IG posts, you may probably find a birthday post with something like Cheers to 29! or Feeling so loved and grateful on my 40th birthday!
The only problem is, finding someone on IG might be a bit trickier than on Facebook. But don’t worry, we’ve got some practical tips to help you track down their profile. You can either search by name & additional info, try syncing your contact list, or do a reverse image search. (Click the links to learn about the detailed steps.)
🔘 A quick reminder
Sometimes, certain information may not give you their exact age, but can still help narrow down an age range or confirm that someone is lying about it. For example, imagine someone claims they were born in 1995, but you stumble upon an article mentioning their professional achievements back in 2011. Unless they were a 16-year-old prodigy, something is way off.
Social media can offer similar clues. For example, you might find a post from your crush during the 2016 presidential election that says I wish I could vote already. So ready to make my voice heard! That’s a good hint they’re probably Gen Z.
Strategy #3: Use a trusted people search engine
If Google searches and social media don’t give you any clues about their age, that’s perfectly normal. Some people simply don’t leave much of a digital footprint, or they’re quite privacy–conscious. In that case, what you need is a people search engine, a tool specifically designed for finding personal information.
People search sites aggregate a massive amount of publicly available data from various sources, such as federal, state, and local government records, social media, phone directories, and web pages. They then use advanced data matching techniques to create a detailed report for everyone.
❓ How do people search sites get age-related info
You might be wondering how these sites collect age-related information about people. In fact, many people search sites can access birth records from various states. That’s why they can sometimes provide not just the birth year but also the month and even the exact date. Other public records could also help, for example, voter registration records often include birth years, criminal and traffic records can reveal a person’s birth year and month. By cross-referencing multiple sources, these sites can provide a relatively more accurate age of someone.
There are plenty of people search sites out there, but attention, not all of them are reliable. You might come across some free ones, which you can certainly try, but they might have less accurate or up-to-date information compared to paid ones.
To find the most reliable options, we personally tested many of the most popular and top-rated sites. We evaluated key factors like data sources, update frequency, depth of information, and report readability. We found that BeenVerified stood out as the top performer. It’s a well-established people search site that has been around for nearly 20 years and remains one of the most trusted in the industry.
BeenVerified can let you:
- Get instant results within minutes
- Search by name, phone number, email, username, address, and more
- Access detailed background info, including education, jobs, social media, criminal & traffic records, property ownership, and more
How to find out someone’s age with BeenVerified
- Go to BeenVerified’s people search page, enter the person’s first and last name, and click SEARCH. (View more search options.)
- During the search process, you might be prompted to provide some extra information (like the state) to narrow down the results.
- Wait for BeenVerified to comb through a wide range of public records sources and generate a detailed report. In order to view the report, you will need to purchase a membership plan that best fits your needs.
- Open the right report and explore detailed information about the person. Use the navigation bar on the left to browse the sections that interest you.
Here are some additional tips:
🔔 Choose the right report
If your search subject has a common name, be careful not to open the wrong report. First, verify basic details on the search results page, such as location, to see if they match. Then, open the report you believe is the right match. Inside, you’ll find more detailed information to further confirm their identity. Some profiles even include possible photos, that’s a big clue too.
✅ Try more search types:
If you have their phone number, doing a reverse phone lookup is a great option, which can quickly pull up possible owners and their personal report. Sometimes, you might see multiple names, like past owners or family members sharing the number, but it’s often easy to pinpoint the right person.
Then there’re also the reverse email search which functions similarly to the phone lookup. Even if you only have their online username and little else, you can still run a search. BeenVerified offers a reverse username lookup, which might help you find the person associated with that username.
✅ Make the most of your report
Let’s face it: age isn’t the only thing people fudge. A good number of people (especially men) lie about their jobs to appear more successful[3]. Some even have a criminal history they’d prefer to keep quiet. This is where a people search report can be incredibly useful, giving you a fuller picture of someone. And sometimes, you might be surprised by what you find.
Although BeenVerified is our top overall pick, you might want to try other options that excel in specific areas, depending on your needs:
| Alternatives | Distinguishing features |
|---|---|
| Spokeo | ● Can sometimes find a person’s exact birthday (view this guide). ● Provides insights into their interests and lifestyle. |
| TruthFinder | ● Can provide incredibly detailed public records, such as criminal and traffic records and employment history. |
| Social Catfish | ● Offers an image search feature that goes beyond a simple Google image search. |
Is the information provided in people search reports 100% accurate?
People search engines don’t generate data but gather it from a wide range of sources, either by directly accessing public records or by acquiring well-established, pre-processed datasets. The accuracy of the information provided largely depends on the quality of these sources, and even government records can be missing or outdated.
💡 Related reading: Sources of Data: Where do people search sites get their data
In fact, people search engines focus a lot on balancing efficiency and accuracy. They process and analyze millions—sometimes billions—of records at a speed no manual search could match. But with such a massive amount of data, 100% accuracy is nearly impossible. That’s why we recommend using the report as a reference rather than relying on it entirely. Cross-checking key details can help ensure you get the full picture.
Strategy #4: Ask strategically
Not asking directly doesn’t mean you can’t ask at all. If you regularly see each other, you can try slipping in subtle questions during natural conversations. Their answers might help you estimate their age, or at least get a general age range. This way, you won’t come across as intrusive, awkward, or seeming like you don’t believe their profile, if that’s what you’re trying to avoid.
▶ For a relatively precise age estimate
If you’re looking for a more precise age estimate, asking about education milestones is often one of the most effective techniques:
What year did you graduate high school?(Most Americans graduate at 18, so you can do the math.)When did you start college?(If they followed a traditional path, it’s usually the same year or one year after high school graduation.)
🔔 If you don’t want to make it obvious that you’re trying to figure out their age, keep the questions natural and smoothly transition into them based on the conversation. The key is to make it feel like casual small talk rather than an interrogation.
▶ For a general idea of their age range
If you just want a general idea of someone’s age range, here are some smart and casual ways to get a sense of it—just a few examples to spark inspiration.
(Historical events)
Do you remember where you were when 9/11 happened?Where were you when the Berlin Wall fell?
(Pop culture/entertainment)
Did you grow up watching XXX?(Mention shows like Miami Vice, Friends, Beverly Hills, 90210, or The Big Ban Theory according to different generations.)Who were your favorite artists growing up? /What was the first album or CD you ever bought?
▶ Tactics to catch lies
If you’ve gone on a couple of dates and start doubting the age they put on their profile, you can try a quick-fire questioning strategy in person. When the conversation touches on anything age-related, just casually interrupt yourself and ask,Wait, how old are you again? Like you forgot what their profile said. The key is to do it face-to-face, where you can observe their reaction. Since they’ll have to answer quickly, you might be able to tell if they’re being honest or scrambling for a response.
Bottom line
These days, people are generally more open-minded about age gaps in relationships. But deliberately hiding their real age is another story. Maybe someone just makes themselves one or two years younger, and it doesn’t seem like a big deal. But the real concern here is the fact that they chose to lie — can they still be trusted? That said, try to look at the full picture. Typos or fuzzy memories do happen, so don’t jump to conclusions. At the end of the day, learn to trust your gut, it can be surprisingly accurate sometimes.
📌 We’d love to hear from you! Feel free to drop us a line in the comment section below and share your story — why are you looking to find someone’s age, and did you run into any issues while following the methods? You might receive some unexpected insights or helpful suggestions from us and other readers!
References
- r/datingoverforty [CaliSinae]. (Dec 28, 2023). he lied about his age, still hasn’t admitted [Online forum post] Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/datingoverforty/comments/18sh8d7/he_lied_about_his_age_still_hasnt_admitted/↩
- r/Arrangedmarriage [awesomeite90]. (Mar 6, 2025). How to find real age of someone ? [Online forum post] Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/Arrangedmarriage/comments/1j4sfjp/comment/mgb5aob/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button↩
- eHarmony Editorial Team. (2021, March 18). 10 Online Dating Statistics You Should Know. eHarmony. https://www.eharmony.com/online-dating-statistics/↩
There’s no guarantee you’ll find the information you’re looking for with the tools discussed in this article. They all source their information from publicly available data sources, such as county, state and federal courts, government departments, and police records, and those sources may contain incorrect or incomplete data. It’s illegal to use these tools to make decisions about employment, admission, consumer credit, insurance, tenant screening, or any other purpose that would require FCRA compliance. Read the Fair Credit Reporting Act to learn more....
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