AncestorSearch tool, v 7.2 ©2025 randymajors.org
AncestorSearch
Transform Google Search into your personal genealogy search engine with this free tool
This free family search engine searches for ancestors using the power of Google Search. This free ancestry search engine uses Google Search enhancements so that you’re much more likely to find mentions of ancestors that are otherwise buried in thousands of Google search results.
NEW! Now you can Filter Search Results to include or exclude search results from People Search sites and Social Media sites.
Try searching for living people using PeopleSearch.
NEW! Now you can Filter Search Results to include or exclude search results from People Search sites and Social Media sites.
Try searching for living people using PeopleSearch.
Quick Tips for using this search tool
- Type in as many search criteria as you want. Use of alternate names, a second person, place, or year are all optional. You can also optionally filter on marriages, births, and deaths.
TIP: Use the tab key to save time moving between input boxes - Click the “Run Full Google Search” button to run your search (or just press the Enter key)
Search results appear in a new tab; close that new tab to go back and refine your search - Choose any of the Filter Search Results options to EXCLUDE or to INCLUDE ONLY search results from major people search sites and/or social media sites. Read more details below.
- Click the “Set Google Alert” button (near the bottom of the tool) to automatically receive updates when Google Search finds a new page matching your query
Learn More
- Review additional usage tips, coverage notes, sources and disclaimers below
- Subscribe to email updates below for tool updates and usage tips
- Get Access to expanded funtionality with Ad-Free Fullscreen Map and Search tools
Why would you need a specialized Google Search?
Here are several example uses for a specialized Google Search for ancestors or other people:
- Efficient Searches: Filter through the vastness of Google results, targeting only those mentions of ancestors or other people, cutting down hours of manual sifting.
- Personalized Genealogy or People Search Engine: Transform standard Google Search into a dedicated people search or family history tool, diving deep into the web to unearth mentions of your ancestors or other people.
- Enhanced Search Options: Flexibility to include or exclude results from People Search sites and Social Media platforms based on your requirements.
- Dynamic PeopleSearch: Explore opportunities to search for living individuals with a deeper Google search.
- Stay Updated: Set Google Alerts to be notified when new pages matching your genealogy query emerge online.
- Protect Your Privacy: Identify which People Search sites have your data, and conveniently request to have your information removed via direct links.
- Filter Out the Noise: Exclude overwhelming results from prevalent social media and other major sites, focusing only on pertinent ancestral information.
- Social Media Insights: Pinpoint ancestor or individual mentions across major social media platforms’ public pages, offering a broader perspective on their digital footprints.
FAQs for AncestorSearch
How do I search for ancestors with Google?
This genealogy search engine uses the full power of Google search to find mentions of your ancestors that are otherwise buried in thousands of search results.
How do I do a free ancestry search?
This ancestry search engine uses the full power of Google search to find mentions of your ancestors that are otherwise buried in thousands of search results.
How do I do a Google genealogy search?
This ancestor search tool builds a focused Google advanced search to help you find mentions of your ancestors that are otherwise buried in thousands of search results.
How can I find my ancestors for free?
This search engine for genealogy uses the full power of Google search to find mentions of your ancestors that are otherwise buried in thousands of search results. Read the section above on how to Filter Search Results from People Search sites and Social Media sites.
How to Filter Search Results from People Search sites and Social Media sites
- EXCLUDE search results from people search sites:
If your search results are inundated by tons of results from people search sites, choosing this option will remove as many of those sites from your search as possible. Note that Google Search has a 32 word limit, so depending on how many search terms you have entered, as many as possible of the people search sites will be removed in the order shown in the next bullet (based roughly on traffic ranking according to Alexa). - INCLUDE ONLY search results from people search sites:
To find a person’s listings in all of the major people search sites, choose this option. If you’re concerned about your privacy, this is a great way to find out which people search sites have your information. Typically, it’s best to start by typing just First Name, Last Name and Place (e.g. city or state). You can also type a 4-digit year or an age into the Year box, and choose “Exact”. Because of Google Search’s 32 word limit, your search will often be executed as two searches and two tabs will open containing the search results (for the same reason, two tabs will open when setting a Google Alert with this filter option).
For your convenience, the following links will take you to each people search engine’s opt-out page where you can request to have your information removed:
whitepages.com, beenverified.com, zoominfo.com, mylife.com, spokeo.com, truepeoplesearch.com, instantcheckmate.com, clustrmaps.com, truthfinder.com, fastpeoplesearch.com, peoplefinders.com, rocketreach.co, apollo.io, intelius.com, owler.com, usphonebook.com, peekyou.com, peoplelooker.com, radaris.com, smartbackgroundchecks.com, pipl.com, familytreenow.com, searchpeoplefree.com, checkpeople.com, thatsthem.com, 411.com, advancedbackgroundchecks.com, ussearch.com, anywho.com, zabasearch.com, peoplesearchnow.com, xlek.com, publicrecords.directory, peoplebyname.com, checkthem.com, usa-people-search.com, veripages.com, peoplesmart.com, findpeoplesearch.com, dobsearch.com, people-background-check.com, fullnamedirectory.com, phoneowner.com, publicrecords360.com, backgroundcheck.run, publicrecords.com
- EXCLUDE search results from social media sites:
If your search results are inundated by tons of results from social media sites, choosing this option will remove as many of those sites from your search as possible. Note that Google Search has a 32 word limit, so depending on how many search terms you have entered, as many as possible of the social media sites will be removed in the following order (based roughly on traffic ranking according to Alexa):
youtube.com, facebook.com, baidu.com, qq.com, wikipedia.org, amazon.com, reddit.com, instagram.com, twitter.com, stackoverflow.com, linkedin.com, github.com, whatsapp.com, tumblr.com, medium.com, stackexchange.com, pinterest.com, messenger.com, quora.com, tripadvisor.com, skype.com, yelp.com, tiktok.com, nextdoor.com, wechat.com, snapchat.com, qzone.com
- INCLUDE ONLY search results from social media sites:
To find a person’s listings in all of the major social media sites’ public pages, choose this option. The priority order searched is the same as shown in the prior bullet. Note that Facebook and some other social media sites do not allow Google Search to index most of their pages, so you must manually search within Facebook to get the full set of search results.
Usage Tips for the Power User
- Shortcut keys: Use the Tab key to move to the next field, and press the Enter key to run the full search
- Don’t worry about upper case or lower case; Google Search is not case-sensitive
- Use the “Other search terms” input box at the bottom of the form to add additional search terms:
For example, to ONLY search one website, type “site:wikipedia.org” (without the quotes), or to EXCLUDE search results from a particular website, type “-site:wikipedia.org” (without the quotes)
Also, multiple terms can be used in the “Other search terms” input box to add Google advanced search strings to your search, such as this (typed exactly as shown here):
-site:wikipedia.com -“saratoga springs” -albanyThe above example excludes search results from wikipedia.com and excludes search results that contain the phrase “colorado springs” and excludes search results that contain the word denver - If you get too many search results, try checking the box “Only return search results where persons’ names are within 10 words of each other”
- After clicking the “Run Full Google Search” button, you can edit the search string on the Google Search page that appears, or just close that tab to go back and refine your search
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