Name-based check

Also called database search · commercial background check

Definition

A search of records by name and identifiers rather than by fingerprints, typically performed by a commercial data provider.

Context

Not the same product as an Identity History Summary and generally not accepted where a police certificate is required. It is included here because the two are routinely conflated in marketing material.

Government sources

Where this term comes from.

Identity History Summary Checks
Federal Bureau of Investigation · reviewed 2026-08-01
fbi.gov rejects automated retrieval; reviewed manually in a browser.

Related terms

Fingerprint-based searchA search of criminal history records keyed to fingerprints rather than to a name and date of birth.
Consumer reporting agencyA company that assembles consumer information for third parties for employment and similar decisions, regulated under the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

Where this term is used

The Identity History Summary Is Not an Employment Background CheckTwo different regimes are routinely confused. An Identity History Summary is a record disclosed to its own subject under federal regulation. Commercial employment screening is a separate activity governed by consumer reporting law. This article sets out the distinction.