Among the many critical elements of a comprehensive background check is the determination of different names an applicant has used in the past. Because background screening relies on database research—and the single largest criteria used during a search is name—it’s critical to establish an Also Known As (AKA) history for each applicant.

An AKA can typically be a result of marriage, but an individual may also choose to change their name altogether, or might use a shortened version of their legal name. We often get questions about candidate AKAs and how these names are processed at A-Check during a background screen, and wanted to take just a few moments to share some of those with you in this entry.

How does A-Check Global locate AKA’s?
The Three Credit Bureaus are typical sources of information used to discover existence of an applicant’s AKAs. A credit report or credit report header—known as an ID Report or Social Security Trace—provide additional AKAs that an individual may have used in their past. As a side note, querying this Credit Bureau information has no impact on a person’s credit score.

Why are AKAs important to A-Check’s background screening process?
An AKA can be utilized to locate information that might not ordinarily be located using conventional name searches, for example:
A college degree obtained under a maiden name
A criminal record filed under a secondary or maiden name
A Driver’s License issued prior to marriage
A record of employment indexed under the applicant’s maiden name

Is there a difference between an AKA and a Nickname?
A-Check does not add obvious nicknames during a background screen, although some applications might provide a place for the applicant to list nicknames—a term of endearment for example—that is not relevant in the background check process:
Legal Name: Diana Prince
AKA: Di Prince (will be added as part of the process)
Nickname: Wonder Woman (will not be added as part of the process)

How are hyphenated/double names processed?
If an applicant submits a hyphenated or double last name, A-Check will create an AKA utilizing the legal first name in combination with each of the last names to create two additional names. The last name will also be searched without the hyphen or space as a single name in conjunction with the legal first name. This process is not applied to hyphenated/double first names.

What are examples of non-AKAs A-Check might find?
A-Check reviews the original name and compares it to any AKAs that might be listed. We utilize the following guidelines to determine if names provided by the Credit Bureau are not applicable—and need not be processed:
Obvious Typographical errors
Suffixes/Prefixes
Variations of middle names or middle initials
Any initial replacing a first or last name
Opposite Gender names

Questions? We’re always here to help.