How to Find the Name Associated with an Email Address

Finding the name associated with an email address is important to stop spammers.

When you can't find the name associated with an email address, this can be the difference between being able to stop a spammer in his tracks and having your inbox inundated. According to Viruslist.com, 85.5 percent of an average person's email is spam. Knowing the sender's name makes it easier to report him to his ISP. Another reason it is important is that knowing the sender's name gives you the ability to respond directly.

Instructions

1. Type the email address into a search engine. This will bring up any websites or blogs associated with the email address. You can look on the "Contact" page or the "Biography" page.

2. Look at the full header for the email. You can do this in Outlook by going to the "File" drop-down menu and clicking on "Properties." This will bring up a new window where you click on the "Details" tab. Find the word "Received" and next to this may be the actual name of the sender.

3. Go to Spokeo.com and click on the "Email" tab. Type in the email address. Click on "Search." In many cases, the name associated with that email will be in the results.

Tips & Warnings

• Even if you cannot find the name, in the case of a spammer you can contact the spammer's ISP and report their email address.

References

• Aruljohn.com: How to Find the IP Address of the Email Sender in Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, AOL, Outlook Express, etc
• Viruslist: Spam Evolutions January-June 2009

Resources

• Spokeo