How to Find Your Birth Father

Michelle Wilson - June 21, 2019

Maybe you were raised by a single mom, and you want to find out about your dad, or perhaps you are adopted, and just want to know who your birth father is. It is not pleasant, no matter the specifics, living life feeling like something is missing—or someone in this case.

There are several other reasons why you might want to find your birth father. For instance, to know if there are any hereditary medical conditions, to learn about their history, to see if you have other family, to know your paternal relatives among many other reasons.

If you have decided to take things into your own hands and look for him, it’s hard to know where to start. Below are suggestions as to how you can begin your search.

What Do You Already Know?

The first step to finding your birth father is to write down all the information you already know about him. Where were you born? When? What’s your mother’s full maiden name? Any details you know, big or small, could prove helpful, the first step is to gather all that information in one place.

If you know your father’s name already, this information can make your search quite short thanks to the internet. You can go to the CheckPeople.com people search and start your search instantly. Through our service, you just visit the people search page and enter your father’s name in the search box and wait a few minutes for the results.

CheckPeople.com will search through dozens of public records to get all the information available about your father. The biggest issue might be if you get multiple matches for the name. If that’s the case, you might have to try to rule out some matches based on age and other information.

If you only have a phone number, CheckPeople.com can do a reverse phone lookup to get information about your dad, including his name and his address. You will also find criminal records, lawsuits, and any other information on your birth father that is available on the public record.

You can also search for your mother’s name. CheckPeople.com will show the results of people who are close relatives to your mother, and one of them might be your dad. It might take some time to do a search for all those people, but it will be worth it if you find your birth father.

CheckPeople.com will also give you links to social media profiles related to the name you search. If you have put in your father’s name, you will have access to their social media profiles through the links provided by CheckPeople.com. You can see pictures of your dad, find out where he works, what he likes, and much more.

Note that using CheckPeople.com to find your father is confidential. Whenever you search for someone, that person will never know that you tried to find them.

Some people are not so lucky to already have this information. If you are one of those people or know someone who is, keep reading for other ways you can find your birth father.

Find Your Birth Certificate

On a birth certificate, the names of both parents are usually indicated. However, you might find that the father’s section on your birth certificate is empty or written unknown. If you do not have your birth certificate make sure you find out the city which you were born so you can go to the required state offices to get it.

There are also online services sponsored by the government that will send you an online copy of your birth certificate. In the case of an adoption, you can request your adoption records from the adoption agency if the state is an open records state.

Some open records states include Oregon, Maine, Alabama, and New Hampshire. If you live in one of these states, you should get your adoption records as soon as you fill out the appropriate forms. Other states will have more restrictions.

Adoption usually requires the consent of both biological parents. Once you have access to these records, you will be able to find your father’s name and other details that can help you find him.

Medical Records

If you know which hospital you were born in, you can go there and request the medical records for that day. It is a possibility that your birth mother might have given the doctor your father’s name while filling in medical history.

If you do not know the hospital you were born in, check on your birth certificate. You are likely to find the details there. You can then call the hospital beforehand so you can find out the procedure for getting the medical records. Different hospitals follow a different protocol to release medical records.

Hire a Private Investigator

Before hiring a private investigator, make sure that he is licensed and bonded. A private investigator comes in handy when you are unable to do all the leg work involved in finding your birth father. Also, your family might be preventing you from finding out about your father. Any business with a private investigator is usually confidential.

A private investigator will need some information to go on, so be sure to share everything you know even if it seems unimportant. The more they have to go on, the more likely they are to find him.

Ask Some of Your Close Relatives

Your mother might be unwilling to give you any information about your father. It is advisable to go ahead and ask your aunts and uncles and other close relatives for any information that they might have. Also, if you have any contact with a relative from your father’s side, you might want to reach out and ask about your dad.

DNA Testing

Advancement in medicine has enabled people to use DNA testing for various reasons. One of those reasons is finding your close relatives. Autosomal DNA is inherited from both biological parents. Everyone has this kind of DNA.

Today, several affordable tests can scan autosomal DNA and find relatives with whom you share a common ancestor. The DNA is compared to other DNA available in the database, and you will be connected to the ones that are the closest match.

It can be helpful in this case, if available, to have a maternal relative test as well. In this manner, you can easily sort matches from your mother’s side from those on your father’s side as you wouldn’t share paternal matches with that person. Sometimes this process can be done indirectly if you can find a known relative that has already tested in your matches.

If you don’t find enough useful matches on the test bank you use, there are some free databases, such as GEDcom, where you can upload your raw DNA for more matches. Some testing companies also allow you to use your results from other companies to search their database, such as FamilyTree DNA. You can’t, however, transfer results between the two biggest DNA test providers, 23andme and AncestryDNA. You would have to pay for two separate tests. If it helps you find your birth father, though, it may be worth the expense.

Sign up on Reunion Websites

You never know, maybe your father or his relatives have tried to find you. Even if they haven’t, the International Soundex Reunion Registry (ISRR) is an organization that arranges reunions among estranged relatives. You will have to download an application form and fill in your details. It is free to use this website.

By registering for such reunion websites, you put it out there that you are looking for a relative, in this case, your father. Your father will have to be registered as well so that a match can be made. It doesn’t have to be your father, but any relative who might be looking for you and has signed up can find you through these sites.

The ISRR has been reuniting families for over forty years so you can be sure that the match will be accurate. They have the largest passive registry in America. Adopted children over 18 years, birth parents, and adoptive parents of adopted children under 18 years are eligible to use this service.

Note that the ISRR is a passive registry meaning it does not actively search for your birth parents. However, there are active registries that charge a fee to do the work of finding your relative.

We hope our tips help you in your search to find your birth father. If you do find him, keep in mind that finding your father does not mean that you have to contact him. A lot of emotional preparation is required for such an event.

Take your time to find out everything you can about him before deciding to take that final step. It is not easy seeing your dad for the first time or after a long time. Finding your father might be all that you need to be able to move on. Take it one step at a time until you are ready to make contact.