Tracesmart's new Names Directory has seen a dramatic increase in users, predominantly within social network site Facebook where the directory is accessed via the "My Name" application. The facility, which was launched in December, enables users to discover statistical and geographical information relating to their name. The database contains 1.5 billion names from the electoral roll (http://www.tracesmart.co.uk/
Tracesmart are extremely pleased with the response to their new online search tool, We have been very encouraged by the feedback from individuals who have used the Names Directory, says Owen Roberts, Communications Manager for Tracesmart. We believe a third of our consumer traffic is directly attributed to this new search function, it's great that the application has become such a popular tool.
The United Kingdom has a wide range of different and unusual names from all over the world, and these will inevitably appear on the lectoral roll. An increase in the popularity of genealogy has resulted in many new researchers getting familiarised with the diverse spelling of similar sounding names. Commenting on this, Sarah Lawrence – Tracesmart's Customer Service Manager noted, "This new database seems to fascinate many people. It offers help for those trying to find relatives and friends as it can assist with the spelling of names essential to get the spelling right when conducting a people search (http://www.tracesmart.co.uk/
However, the most common reason for using the Names Directory is to explore how popular an individual's name is. The database ranks the names in order of popularity; it will also predict how many other people in the UK have the same name and display their possible location.
Tracesmart is currently developing additional systems that will improve the visitor experience, and increase the profile of family research to a wider audience.
