# Have you ever googled yourself? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [July 5, 2016, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171 "2016-07-05T23:44:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 9:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171/21 "2016-07-06T09:31:09Z")
I’m the father of a famous person apparently. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 11:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171/22 "2016-07-06T11:41:38Z")
My name is unique within the UK so if you put ‘uk’ on the end, the first entries are all me. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171/23 "2016-07-06T11:53:59Z")
I had a distant cousin with the same name who has a regularly awarded sporting prize named after him. That comes up a lot. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 11:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171/24 "2016-07-06T11:55:34Z")
> [@Northern\_Piper](#): > > For a while there, I was getting a lot of hits for Scottish golf courses. Your name is Link St Andrews? ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171/25 "2016-07-06T12:17:02Z")
> [@Hbk4894](#): > > If so what came up? > > I’m a tattoo artist according to google I haven’t googled myself, but I’ve googled my username lots of times to find old posts of mine on various forums when I can’t remember where I posted something. After 20 years on the internet, it rarely works anymore… ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171/26 "2016-07-06T12:31:45Z")
It’s funny how these results change over time. I first searched for my name about fifteen years ago. My full name with middle initial turned up an article that I had written for the newsletter of the American Dendrobatid Group in 1995. The version of my name I usually use returned a whole bunch of links about a professional motorcycle racer, and one link to a guy with my name who was the web-master for a Catholic church in Cleveland. The church had the same name as the church I attended in Baltimore. Now, my full name returns a bunch of links to personal data search sites, some of which contain old and current addresses and my defunct landline phone number. The frog newsletter link has disappeared. I also get a link to USA v. me, the court record from my inadvertent violation of the CITES laws back in 1999. In the images area, there are pictures of other people and one of me and my wife that I posted on Facebook years ago. My less formal name still returns links about the motorcycle guy and a police chief. There’s no sign of me. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171/27 "2016-07-06T12:56:02Z")
> [@Knorf](#): > > Most of the first page is me, but there is also someone who was convicted of murder.:eek: The top result for my name - without uk added - used to be a black American criminal. I’m white, British, and have no criminal record. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171/28 "2016-07-06T12:56:56Z")
I have a relatively common name. There is even another mathematician with the same name. I would doubtless come up first if you could say “no middle name”, but that is not an option. There is a software engineer, a prof. of econ. at U. Mich. who come up before me. There are also three other people (two of three above) with wiki pages too. But if you search wiki for My Name mathematician, you find me. But why wouldn’t you google yourself. You know other people will so you want to know what they will find. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171/29 "2016-07-06T13:08:22Z")
Since I changed my name for marriage, it matches a rather famous golfer, so at least the first three pages are all about her. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171/30 "2016-07-06T13:35:54Z")
I used to quite often, but I can’t any longer since I went blind 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171/31 "2016-07-06T13:48:27Z")
My first and last name turn up a wildlife artist, an actor, some kind of electronic music artist, and rarely, myself. My full name just brings up random stuff other than myself. Those “find a person” sites had all my residences ever since I moved away from home 30 years ago. Interesting. But nothing else about me personally. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171/32 "2016-07-06T15:31:45Z")
Excluding all the address and profile gathering sites like spokeo, about 30% of the hits on the first 3 pages are me. They are all related to my papers, patents or sponsorship of student projects. With one about me buying a house (property transfer record). ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171/33 "2016-07-06T15:54:47Z")
When I google “yourself” I just get a few dictionary definitions and some Justin Bieber videos. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171/34 "2016-07-06T16:51:19Z")
I should add something. Everyone should be googling themselves every now and then, maybe once a year. You want to make sure the hits that come up aren’t something gross or inappropriate. You want to make sure it’s either a) really easy to tell that you are not the murderer or b) there’s just so many it doesn’t matter anyway. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171/35 "2016-07-06T16:56:21Z")
Sure. According to Google, I’m a gay porn star…and pretty good looking too. Several years ago I was at a “new big boss introduces himself to the team” kind of dinner, and the new boss was going on about some work he had done that had supported some congressional investigation. He dropped a few names and said “If you google my name you can read all about it.” To which I immediately replied “Well, if you google my name you’ll find that I’m a gay porn star.” 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Ignotus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/ecc23a/32.png) [@Ignotus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ignotus)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171/36 "2016-07-06T17:10:52Z")
Yeah, I found my name and address. Also the facts that I’m not married and was born on a Sunday. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171/37 "2016-07-06T17:24:26Z")
Yeah, I Google myself now and then. Usually my service as a magistrate or my public speaking on American Civil War history comes up. Depending on the search terms I use, some other stuff appears - but nothing embarrassing. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 5:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171/38 "2016-07-06T17:27:25Z")
My full name turns up about 1900 hits. The ones related to me are mostly genealogy related or product reviews. The photos section has one photo that is me; the rest are either relatives (genealogy again), or unrelated. ---
**Author:** ![dracoi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90db22/32.png) [@dracoi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dracoi)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 5:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171/39 "2016-07-06T17:32:33Z")
I have a unique name. (Seriously. So far as I know, I’m the only person on the planet to have my first and last name. My first name is pretty common in America, but not used in most of Europe. My last name originates in Europe, where it’s not all that common to begin with, but everyone in America with that name is related to me.) So, all the top Google results really are me. There’s nothing terribly exciting there and nothing at all embarrassing or controversial. If there’s anything bad, it’s that debt collectors see the rarity of the last name and figure they’ll just call me about all of my relatives’ problems. ---
**Author:** ![Rhodes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhodes/32/273_2.png) [@Rhodes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhodes)\ **Post date:** [July 6, 2016, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171/40 "2016-07-06T17:51:23Z")
All the Google results are for an athlete, except one result for another athlete’s Wikipedia page. From there I clicked Wikipedia’s “My Name (disambiguation)”. Looks like I’m 3 athletes and a radio presenter. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/have-you-ever-googled-yourself/759171.md?page=3)