How to Find Out Your Neighbor’s Name with Just an Address
Effective methods to find out your neighbor’s name and more, whether they own or rent
1 Revisions
So you want to find out your neighbor’s name, but for some reason you’d rather do a little digging yourself than directly ask them. Maybe it’s simple curiosity. Who are the people living next door, anyway? Do they have a shady past or something? Or perhaps it’s something a bit more official, like a noise dispute, or property boundary issue. Whatever.
You might think a neighbor’s name is private information. But the truth is, a lot of information is publicly available, meaning pretty much anyone can access it if they know where to look. So just follow this step-by-step guide. We’ll walk you through a few easy ways to find out who your neighbors are.
Methods at a glance
✅ Search property records
Best if: your neighbor owns their home and you just need their name.
✅ Require/purchase voter registration data
Best if: you don’t mind investing a bit more time and effort, and your state allows public access to voter files.
✅ Use a trusted people search engine
Best if: you’re unsure whether your neighbor owns or rents, or you want a quick way to find out their name & lots of background info.
✅ Take advantage of other known details
Best if: you already have additional information to leverage, like their phone number.
🟢 Just want to know how to address your neighbor without asking? Try these clever tactics.
Search property records
If your neighbor owns their home, finding out their name is often surprisingly easy. In the U.S., property ownership info is usually public record. In most states, anyone can find out who owns a property just with something like an address. All it takes is a quick search through local government offices, like the county assessor or recorder’s office[1].
To find the right site for your search, you’ve got several options:
Option 1: Use a portal website
A public records portal website like NETR Online is incredibly convenient for conducting property information searches. It offers a handy directory of tax assessors, treasurers, and recorders’ offices across different states and counties.
Option 2: Search for the relevant website on Google
On google, search keywords like “Property Search”, “Property Records” or “Property Information” along with the name of the county (e.g., King county property search).
Look for websites ending in “.gov” or “.org”, as these are usually official government or non-profit sites. Additionally, check if the county name (or its abbreviation) is included in the URL.
If you’re having trouble finding the right website, feel free to tell us the county and state in the comments section and we’re happy to guide you through the process.
While the layout and design of property search pages may differ by county, the steps are generally the same. They typically provide several search options, including searching by address/owner name/property ID/parcel number. Below are screenshots from the King County Department of Assessments website, just to give you an idea of what to expect.
A few things to keep in mind though
🔔 Some property records require in-person access
While most counties do offer online portals for accessing property records, there are still some that don’t provide online access. For example, counties in California require an in-person visit to access ownership details due to local regulations. In that case, you can visit the county office and get the information for a small fee[2]. Or, if you’d rather skip the hassle, you can use a third-party reverse address lookup tool instead.
🔔 Not all property records reveal owner’s name
Another thing to keep in mind: sometimes people choose not to put their own name on the deed for privacy or legal protection. Instead, the property might be owned under a living trust, revocable trust, or an LLC. In that case, when you search the property records, you won’t see the person’s actual name.
Check registered voter lists
When people register to vote, they fill out a voter registration form that collects details like their full name, residential address, DOB and political party affiliation. Depending on state laws, some of this information may be accessible to the public for free or for a fee[3]. And here’s the best part: you’re not limited to searching by name. In many states, you can request the full list of registered voters for a particular area.
So, how do you actually get the data or submit a request? Luckily, there’s a handy online portal created by the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) which brings together this information. It provides access to each state’s relevant webpage.
Alternatively, you can search on Google directly to locate county-level websites. (In most cases, both state and county-level offices are able to handle these types of requests.）
For example, to view the registered voters list for Travis County, TX, I downloaded and unzipped the relevant file, then got a massive Excel spreadsheet with over 800,000 records (as shown in the image below).
To find your neighbor’s record, just use the search function (Ctrl + F) and type in details like the street name to narrow things down. (In many of these files, the street number and street name are listed in separate columns. so it’s better not to type in the full address.) Once you spot the right entry, you’ll be able to see their full name.
Why you might not see your neighbor’s name in the voter file
Note that even if you’re looking at a voter file with hundreds of thousands of names, there’s no guarantee your neighbor will be on it. Possible reasons include:
🔘 They may have chosen to keep their info private for safety reasons.
🔘 They haven’t updated their voter registration address yet since moving.
🔘 They’re simply not registered to vote.
🔘 The voter file isn’t up to date.
🔘 They’re not a U.S. citizen and therefore not eligible to vote.
🔘 They used a P.O. box instead of their actual residence.
🔘 Others…
As a matter of fact, neither property records nor voter registration records can guarantee results. If digging through public records manually didn’t get you anywhere, or if you think it’s too much of a hassle, you can try searching with a people search engine as described below. In the next section, we’ll show you how to use a people search engine to search for the info you need.
Use a trusted people search engine
Using a people search engine is one of the most efficient ways to learn about your neighbors. These services aggregate a vast amount of publicly available data from sources like government databases, online directories, social media, and web pages, then use advanced data matching techniques to build detailed, easy-to-read reports on individuals. They don’t just support name searches. Many also offer other ways to look someone up, including reverse address search.
Here’s what you might get after running a reverse address search, if available:
Don’t worry, it’s perfectly legit. People search engines don’t generate data. They’re just data couriers.
Not all people search engines are created equal. That’s why we personally tested a range of tools that support reverse address lookups to identify the most reliable and effective ones. We tested them by searching a dozen real addresses from various counties and states. We found that BeenVerified is one of the best tools for finding out who your neighbors are and uncovering a wealth of information about them.
Why use a people search engine to find out who your neighbors are:
It breaks the “owner-only” limitation
A property record search will only show who owns the home. So if your neighbor is just renting or staying there temporarily, their name won’t show up. But that doesn’t mean you’ve hit a dead end. Many types of public records can link someone to their residential address, including voter registration info, professional licenses & permits, court records, and more. A reverse address search using a people search engine can tell you who is associated with the address, regardless of whether they own the property or not.
It makes reverse lookups possible
Most public databases only work one way: you need to know someone’s name first in order to pull their record. For example, if the person you’re looking for is a certificated lawyer, their name, license info, and even home address might be listed in a public database like the one shown in the screenshot below. That sounds great. But here’s the problem: if you perform the search yourself, you can’t do the reverse thing: search by address to find out their name.
That’s where people search engines are different. They pull data from many sources and connect the dots between different pieces of information, like names and addresses. So you can start with just an address and still find out the person associated with that address. It makes reverse lookups possible, even when public databases can’t.
It can provide far more information than just a name
While a basic property record might only tell you who owns the place, a good people search engine can dig much deeper. You might uncover details like their age, previous addresses, contact details, social media profiles, and even possible relatives. This gives you a fuller picture of who lives next door.
There’s nothing wrong with being curious. And let’s face it, neighbors can play a big role in how safe and comfortable we feel at home. So it’s perfectly normal to wonder whether the person next door is a law-abiding citizen or someone with a criminal record.
It can search a massive amount of data at one time
Useful information is often scattered across different sources, and doing a manual search on your own can take a lot of time and effort. People search sites mostly pull from publicly available information, but the key is how they handle it. They collect data from various sources and from different counties or states, and they process and analyze millions (sometimes billions) of records at once. That means they can save you a ton of time by putting everything in one place.
How to use BeenVerified to find out who your neighbors are
1) Go to the BeenVerified Reverse Address Lookup page, type the exact street number and street name in the search field, then click SEARCH. (As you type, address suggestions may appear. Just click to autofill it.)
2) When a report is ready, purchase a subscription plan you prefer and unlock it.
3) In the address report that comes up, you’ll see several property-related sections. Click on “Possible Owners” and “Possible Residents” to get an idea of who your neighbors might be.
If you see multiple names in the “Possible Owners” section, it usually indicates joint ownership, for example, by a husband and wife.
4) To obtain detailed personal information, click “Search Person”. Then select “View Person Report” on the page that appears. This will take you from the address report to the person report (no additional fees involved).
You can easily navigate to the sections you’re interested in using the left-hand menu.
If you’re not sure whether or not your neighbor is the actual owner, you can click on the personal reports for the possible owners and residents to see if the details line up, like their age and photo.
Take advantage of other known details of your neighbor
To find out your neighbor’s name, aside from using a reverse address search, you can also take advantage of other details you might already know, especially if you’re not complete strangers. For example, if you happen to have your neighbor’s phone number, you’re already one step ahead. With just a phone number, there are a few ways to potentially uncover their name:
- Google the phone number and see what comes up.
- Use a caller ID lookup tool to reveal the name (if available) linked to the number. Just enter the 10-digit phone number, and click Search Now. (Heads-up: the database takes time to update. So if your neighbor recently got the number, it might still show the previous owner’s name.)
- Cash apps like Cash App and Venmo can be surprisingly helpful too. Take Cash App, for example. Just open the app, tap the Pay button, and enter your neighbor’s phone number. If that number is linked to a Cash App account, their name will pop up. (You don’t need to actually send any money.)
- Make use of the “Sync Contacts” feature offered by many major social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc.). The app will access your phone book, check which contacts are already on the platform and then suggest their profiles to you.
- Use a dedicated reverse phone number lookup tool to uncover the person associated with the number and potentially access a wealth of background information about them.
Other guides you might find helpful:
📝 How to Find Out Who Owns an Email Address (Proven Methods)
📝 How to Find Someone by Username (Step-by-Step Guide)
Smart tactics to find out your neighbor’s name
I don’t know if this sounds familiar: you’ve been chatting with your lovely new neighbor for months, always friendly, great conversations…but you’ve completely forgotten their name. (To make things worse, they remember yours!) Or maybe you just missed it the first time they said it, and now it’s been years… All you know is their dog’s name. Asking directly might be a bit awkward at this point, so what can you do? Here are a few clever workarounds to learn their name without any embarrassment.
☑️ Ask the postman/another neighbor/apartment manager
Asking the mail carrier is a classic move that pops into many people’s heads right away. If you’re on good terms with your mailman, you could just casually ask "Hey, do you happen to know who lives at XXX?" They usually know everyone on their route. Aside from the mailman, you can also ask people who might know, like a mutual neighbor, regular delivery drivers (FedEx, Amazon…) or even the apartment management, depending on your situation.
☑️ Ask your neighbor, but strategically and smoothly
Another commonly used strategy is to casually ask how their name is spelled, like you already know it, but just want to make sure you don’t mess it up in writing. You could come up with a common reason like updating your contacts/address book. (However, this trick does come with a bit of risk: when “S.U.E” or “T.I.M” is the reply, you might find yourself turning bright red…)
Or you can act like you’re asking for their last name. Start with a casual “I’m sorry, what’s your name again?” Once they tell you their first name, you just follow up with “Right, of course! I actually meant your last name.” That way, you get both names in one go.
☑️ Exchange contact info with your neighbors
If you haven’t exchanged numbers yet, a pretty smooth and easy way is to hand them your phone and let them type in their name and phone number.
Or, if connecting on social media feels natural for you two, you can simply open your Facebook and have them type in their name and add themselves right there from your phone. It makes perfect sense because you want to make sure you’re adding the right person, not some random stranger.
☑️ Introduce someone else to your neighbor
Try bringing a friend over and introducing them to your neighbor. For example, walk past their place with your friend, say hi, and then add “Oh by the way, this is my friend Sarah”. Sarah shakes their hand, and they’ll probably say something like “Nice to meet you, Sarah, I’m Barbara”.
☑️ Check neighborhood apps or social media
See if they’re on any local Facebook groups. Many neighborhoods have their own Facebook groups where people post about everything from lost pets to upcoming events. Even if they don’t actively post, you might be able to recognize their profile picture or see them mentioned in posts.
You might also want to check out some social networking services specifically made for neighborhoods, like Nextdoor. These platforms are built for local interaction, and users often register with their real names and addresses.
More potentially helpful tactics
Here are some other potentially useful techniques that some people have tried (but some might be a bit more hassle than they’re worth):
- Host a party and ask everyone to wear name tags.
- When a holiday comes up, drop a card in their mailbox with your names on it, and hope for reciprocity.
- Ask your neighbor to sign a petition about a shared neighborhood issue (e.g. street lightning).
- Sometimes their full name is printed right on delivered packages or mail left outside. A quick peek can give you what you need. Just try not to be too creepy. (Though sometimes “Occupant” or “Homeowner” would be the answer…)
If all else fails…
First, you can always resort to a people search engine that we mentioned a bit earlier.
Second, at the end of the day, honesty really is the best policy. Everyone forgets names sometimes, it’s completely normal. So just admit it. Most people won’t give it another thought.
Even if it’s been several years and you still don’t know their name, it’s really not that crazy. For example, this redditor said he has been having frequent, long chats with his next door neighbor for more than a decade[4], but didn’t know his name until recently. You can always say something like, “Okay, this is a bit embarrassing, but your name just flew in one ear and out the other when we first met. Blame the excitement of moving in!” Normally, they’ll just laugh (a lot) with you and tell you. If anything, it might even make you two a little closer.
- In the U.S., property records are maintained at the county level.↩
- This typically involves a small fee, though the exact cost can vary depending on the location. It’s best to check the office’s website or call them directly for specific fee details.↩
- The availability, price, and type of data in the voter file varies by state. In some counties, getting an electronic copy of the voter file can actually be quite pricey, costing over a hundred dollars in some cases.↩
- r/NoStupidQuestions [Pablo_is_on_Reddit]. (Jul 6, 2024). How do I find out the neighbors name? We talk often. I feel rude. [Online forum post] Reddit. https://www.reddit.com/r/NoStupidQuestions/comments/1dw6j10/comment/lbsnm3i/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button↩
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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