How to Find a Biological Father without His Name
There’s a saying that goes: “paternity is always in question.” Evidence and details should never be taken as being fully accurate when it comes to finding a biological father. In some cases, one’s biological mother does not want to share who he was or just doesn’t know. Paternity DNA tests are the most tangible evidence.
Consumer DNA Testing
This is often the only way a biological father can be determined with full accuracy. The process transpires in two stages. First, take a DNA test or several for the best possible results. Your results will enter the database to check for possible matches. When it comes to your choice of a DNA testing service, go for the organizations with the biggest databases of testers.
Even if you’re not prepared to contact your birth father, you can learn a lot about your roots from your DNA results.
YDNA Test
YDNA can trace the paternal family line. It is passed down generations from fathers to sons without many changes. Only men can take this test. If you’re a woman and have a male family member who’s a known relative of the man you’re looking for, he can test instead of you.
Use a Search Engine
If you have some information about your birth father, like where he was born, you can use people search engines to find him or look for additional details. This would be reasonable to do if you get a DNA match that doesn’t reply to your messages, but their identity can be critical to learning more.
You can search for other contact details to try to reach them again or use publicly available information to reconstruct their family tree without talking to them. Whichever you choose, you must do an online search. You could find a family document identifying relatives of the person whose DNA you matched.
Get Your Birth Certificate
You might be able to request your original birth certificate depending on the state where you were born. Typically, this only works for adoptees and the certificate doesn’t always have both parents’ names, but it’s an option.
In the case of adoptees, keep in mind laws vary between states, so you should become familiar with them. It must be noted that the certificate could have the wrong name. It’s still worth a shot, as the truth may be right there waiting to be discovered. There are ways to test theories even if the information isn’t fully accurate.
Use a Background Check Service
It’s a good idea to screen your relatives. It might reveal additional details. Exercise caution when choosing a company; some of them are scammers. Opt for a reliable service like information.com when paying to conduct a background check online.
Luck on Your Side
If luck is on your side, you’ll get a DNA match of around 3400 centimorgans with an older man. Such a close match leaves little doubt that he is your father. However, people rarely get that lucky.
Identify Matches on Your Maternal Side
What you can do is try to find DNA matches on your mother’s side. The point of doing this is to find out which matches aren’t on that side. If they’re not connected to your maternal line, then they are connected to your paternal line.
If you get several DNA matches with the same last name, it could be your father’s last name. If you can’t see your matches’ family trees on the DNA testing platform, send them a polite message asking them to view it.
Then, look for any mention of that name in your closest matches’ trees to see if those people might be the descendants of a group of siblings. Your father might be one of those siblings if all these matches descend from that group. Do more research on the male siblings, including on search engines.
Be Patient
If you have an idea about who your father might be at this point, you can keep researching or leave it at that. Since you do not know who your father was, it could be that those close to him don’t know you exist. Trying to contact people who might know him is the only way to get closer. If you choose to do that, be patient and understand you might be wrong.
Ideally, you might find someone who was close to the man you suspect is your father and confirm he was around in the area and at the time you were born. He might still be alive or have living relatives who can get tested to confirm or reject your suspicions.
