This free CNAM lookup shows the caller ID name on a US phone number.
CNAM is the caller ID name a phone shows when a number calls. Enter a US number and this free lookup shows whether a caller ID name is on record, part or all of that name, and the city and state. A 7-day free trial shows the full name and street address. Most mobile numbers carry no caller ID name.
- No signup to try
- Caller ID name
- City and state
- US phone numbers
Example resultSample result for (201) 555-0147. Run any lookup above and it is replaced with yours.
Caller ID name found for this number
This is the name on the caller ID record, shown in part. Start a 7-day free trial to see the full name and the street address on record.
See where the 201 area code is, its local time and its history
Need this at scale? Reverse Phone Lookup API
Look up the name and address on record for whole phone lists through the API or bulk CSV.
A CNAM lookup shows the name a phone displays when a number calls.
CNAM, short for caller ID name, is the text your phone shows with a number when it rings: a business name such as MAPLE ST BAKERY, a person's name with the last name first, or just a city and state. The caller's phone company does not send that name with the call. Your own carrier looks the number up in a caller ID name database and shows what it finds. A CNAM lookup reads that kind of record without calling anyone.
Enter a US number above. The free result tells you whether a caller ID name is on record, shows part or all of it, and gives the city and state on the record. A 7-day free trial shows the full name, the street address and ZIP code, the email on file when there is one, and a Do Not Call flag.
Most mobile numbers have no caller ID name on record, so a blank result for a mobile is normal rather than a warning sign. A caller ID name is also only as good as the database behind it. The FCC notes that bad actors can tie a number they control to a misleading name, such as a bank's, so treat the name as a lead to confirm rather than proof.
Each of our free number lookups answers a different question.
To see who a number is listed to, rather than the name it shows on caller ID, use our free reverse phone lookup. If the number just called you and you are deciding whether to call back, start with our free who called me lookup. And to see which carrier a number is on today, use our free carrier lookup.
A CNAM lookup takes three steps, and the number is never called.
Enter the phone number
Type or paste any 10-digit US number. Dashes, brackets, spaces, dots and a leading 1 are all cleaned up automatically.
We check the caller ID name record
The lookup reads the caller ID name record for the number, the same kind of record a carrier reads when that number calls someone.
Read the result
You see whether a caller ID name is on record, part or all of it, and the city and state. A 7-day free trial shows the full name and street address.
A caller ID name is a database entry that the called person's carrier looks up on each call.
How the caller ID name reaches a phone, as the FCC describes it in its 2011 caller ID report to Congress (DA 11-1089) and its October 2025 call branding proposal (FCC 25-76). The 15-character length is the industry convention that the ATIS enhanced calling name standard (ATIS-1000067) was written to go beyond.
| Question | What happens | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Does the caller's phone company send the name with the call? | No. The number travels with the call, but the name is not sent by the caller's carrier or provider. | FCC DA 11-1089, paragraph 13 |
| Who looks the name up? | The called person's carrier. It uses the incoming number to retrieve the name from a caller ID name (CNAM) database. | FCC DA 11-1089, paragraph 13, and FCC 25-76, paragraph 4 |
| Where do the names come from? | CNAM databases link numbers to the people and businesses they are assigned to. Some carriers keep their own database, and others buy access from providers that gather listings from many sources. | FCC DA 11-1089, paragraph 13 |
| Which name shows when several people share a number? | Usually the main name listed for the number. | FCC DA 11-1089, footnote 29 |
| How long can the name be? | Up to 15 characters under industry convention. The ATIS enhanced calling name standard was written to deliver names longer than 15 characters on IP networks. | ATIS-1000067 (2015) |
| Is the name always right? | No. It is only as accurate as the database, and bad actors can link numbers they control to misleading names, such as a bank's name. | FCC DA 11-1089, paragraph 14, and FCC 25-76, paragraph 8 |
| Is anything replacing it? | The FCC describes Rich Call Data as an alternative on IP networks: the caller's own provider vets the name and sends it with the call, instead of the called person's carrier looking it up. | FCC 25-76, paragraphs 8 and 13 |
A phone shows one of four things where the caller ID name goes, and each one has a reason.
What turns up in the caller ID name records this lookup reads, and what each one means when your phone rings.
| What your phone shows | What it means |
|---|---|
| A name, such as MAPLE ST BAKERY | The number has a caller ID name on record, and your carrier looked it up for the call. |
| A city and state, such as HOBOKEN NJ | No name is stored for the number. The record holds the city and state tied to the number instead, which is usually where it was assigned, not where the caller is. |
| WIRELESS CALLER or a similar label | A placeholder that many mobile numbers carry instead of a name. |
| Only the number | No caller ID name is on record, or your carrier did not look one up for this call. |
It shows the name a phone displays for the number.
When a caller ID name is on record, you see it the way caller ID shows it, in capital letters, along with the city and state on the record.
It tells you when there is no name at all.
A clear none-on-record answer is useful too: it is why a call from that number shows up as digits or a city and state.
Nobody is told that you looked.
The lookup reads records only. No call or text goes to the number, so its owner never sees that it was checked.
Whole lists run through the dashboard or the API.
With an account, upload a CSV of numbers in the dashboard or call the 1Lookup API. Each lookup that finds a record uses 10 credits, and one that finds nothing uses none.
Who uses this tool
People use it to see who a missed call claims to be.
Check the caller ID name on a number from your call log before you call back, and compare it with what your phone showed.
Businesses use it to check their own caller ID name.
Look up your company's outbound numbers to see whether any caller ID name is on record, then read the full name on a 7-day free trial to check it is right and not cut short.
Sales teams use it before they dial a list.
Run a list through the dashboard to add the name on record, the street address and a Do Not Call flag to every number before anyone calls it.
It explains a strange name on your caller ID.
When a call shows a city, a label like WIRELESS CALLER or a name you do not know, the lookup shows what is on record for that number.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free CNAM lookup?
Yes, this one. Enter a US number above to see, with no signup, whether a caller ID name is on record, part or all of that name, and the city and state. The full name, street address and ZIP code come with a 7-day free trial.
What is CNAM?
CNAM stands for caller ID name, also called calling name. It is the name tied to a phone number in a caller ID name database. When the number calls you, your carrier looks it up and your phone shows it under the number.
How do I change my caller ID name?
Ask the phone company or VoIP provider that gave you the number to update its caller ID name, and keep it to 15 characters, spaces included. The new name then passes through a chain of database providers before other carriers see it, so it can take a while to show everywhere. On a mobile, ask your carrier whether it lets you set one.
Why does caller ID show a city name instead of a name?
Because no caller ID name is stored for the number. In that case the record often holds the city and state tied to the number, which is usually where the number was assigned, so that is what your phone shows. It does not tell you where the caller is now.
What is the difference between a CNAM lookup and a reverse phone lookup?
A CNAM lookup answers what name shows on caller ID when a number calls. A reverse phone lookup answers who the number is listed to. On 1Lookup both read the same record: this page leads with the caller ID name, and our reverse phone lookup leads with the owner listing.
Why do most mobile numbers have no caller ID name?
Mobile numbers usually have no name in the caller ID name databases: the record is blank, or holds a placeholder such as WIRELESS CALLER or a city and state. Landlines and business lines are the ones that usually carry a name.
Can a caller ID name be faked?
Yes. The FCC notes that bad actors can link numbers they control to misleading names in the databases carriers read, such as the name of a well-known bank, and the number itself can be spoofed. Treat a caller ID name as a lead to confirm, not proof of who is calling.
How long can a caller ID name be?
Up to 15 characters under industry convention, spaces included, which is why long business names show up cut short. A newer ATIS standard allows longer names on IP networks.
Does the person know I looked up their number?
No. The lookup reads records only. No call or text goes to the number, so its owner never sees that it was checked.
Can I run CNAM lookups in bulk or through an API?
Yes. The free tool checks one number at a time. With an account you can upload a CSV of numbers in the dashboard or call the 1Lookup API. Each lookup that finds a record uses 10 credits, and one that finds nothing uses none.
Does this work for Canadian or international numbers?
No, it covers US numbers only. For a Canadian number, our free carrier lookup shows its carrier and line type, and for numbers in other countries our free HLR lookup shows whether a mobile is active and which network it is on.
Is a CNAM lookup legal?
Yes. Looking up the caller ID name on a phone number is legal in the US. The results are not a consumer report, so they cannot be used for decisions about credit, insurance, employment or tenancy, which the Fair Credit Reporting Act covers.
The first three digits of a US number tell you where it was assigned.
Every area code has its own page with the places it covers, the local time there, and what to do when a call from it looks spoofed. These are the codes people look up most.
- 213Los Angeles
- 646New York City
- 917New York City
- 202Washington
- 404Atlanta
- 702Las Vegas
- 786Miami
- 415San Francisco
- 206Seattle
- 954Fort Lauderdale
- 323Los Angeles
- 929New York City
New area codes catch people out, because a number from one looks unfamiliar even when it is local. These are the newest working codes.
- 465New York, since Jun 2026
- 483Alabama, since Feb 2026
- 471Mississippi, since Jan 2026
- 679Michigan, since Nov 2025
- 457Louisiana, since Sep 2025
- 729Tennessee, since Sep 2025