How to Check if Email Addresses Match the Contact Names in a Lead List
To check that an email matches the contact's name, compare the part before the @ with the first and last name on the same row. The email and name match checker does it for every row of a CSV. jane.doe@, jdoe@ and doej@ match Jane Doe, jane@ matches the first name only, and mark.olsen@ on Lee Chen's row matches neither.
It compares text in your file. Nothing is sent to anyone.
The by-hand way
- Sort the list by company so you can see who sits where.
- Read each address next to its name. Look for the first name, the last name, or an initial and a surname.
- Mark rows where the address names someone else entirely.
Fine for 30 rows. At 3,000 you will miss most of them.
Step 1: upload the CSV
Upload or paste a CSV with a header row: an email column and either first_name and last_name or one name column.
Step 2: run the check
Press Check names against emails. The tool reads the part before the @, drops any +tag, ignores dots, hyphens and digits, and folds accents. For double surnames it also tries the last word, so María García López matches maria.lopez@.
Step 3: read each row
| Result | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Both names (first + last, flast, lastf) | The address fits the contact | Keep |
| First name only, last name only | One name appears, common at small companies | Usually keep |
| Initials only | Something like jd@ |
Look at the row |
| Role inbox | Belongs to a team, so there is no name to match | Treat as a team address |
| No match | Neither name appears | Look at the row, likely wrong person |
| No name | The row has no name to compare | Fill it or skip |
Each row also shows the pattern found. Download the CSV with its name_match column and filter to the rows that do not match.
Where mismatches come from
Enrichment tools fill emails by matching a name and company to their database. When the match is loose, or the person left and someone else took the role, the row ends up with a colleague's or a predecessor's address. A personalised first line then greets the wrong person, or the mail bounces because the mailbox was closed. Our guide to enrichment and verification order covers where these rows come from, and finding fake names in a lead list is the companion check on the name side.
What this check cannot do
- It is a string match. Nicknames, married names and transliterations show as mismatches.
- It cannot tell a current employee's address from a former one with the same name.
- It needs a name on the row.
- It does not say whether the mailbox exists.
Check which of the addresses are real
A matching name is not proof of a live mailbox. Upload the list on the verify page: the first 100 email checks are free with a Google sign-in, no card. Each address comes back valid, risky or invalid with a reason, and nothing is sent to anyone on the list. For larger or recurring lists, see bulk email verification, list cleaning and pricing.
Check your list now
Open the email and name match checker.
Common questions
How do I check that an email matches the contact's name?
Compare the part before the @ with the first and last name. An email and name match checker does this for every row and labels each as a full match, first name only, last name only, initials only, role inbox or no match.
Why would an email not match the contact's name?
Usually because the address and the person came from different places. Enrichment tools match a name and company loosely, or the person left and someone else took over the role.
Is a mismatch always wrong?
No. Nicknames, married names, transliterated names and personal mailboxes all fail a string match while being correct. The tool flags rows to look at rather than deleting them.
Which patterns count as a match?
Both names in either order, or one name with the other's initial, such as jane.doe, doe_jane, jdoe, doej and janed. Accents are ignored, so José Núñez matches jose.nunez@.
Does a match mean the mailbox exists?
No. It compares text only. A mailbox check on the address is a separate step.
Check your list before you send
Real mailbox checks over SMTP, and nothing is sent to the address. Sign in with Google and your first 100 email checks are free, no card. Plans for bigger lists are on the pricing page.