Name validation API

Check names for format issues and blocked terms before storing the record.

Return validity, profanity and risk indicators for your own acceptance or review rules.

Part of: Form verification Data cleansing Source audit

What it checks

Provero checks whether a submitted name has a plausible personal-name format, and checks the full value and each individual name part against its active blocked-term list.

Send the name as a single full_name value, or as a first_name and last_name pair. The result shows whether the name passed both the format and blocked-term screening, whether it contains profanity and an overall risk level, with optional notes on the screening.

It screens the text that was entered. It does not check that the name belongs to a real person or matches any other detail on the record.

What it returns

Output	What it tells you
fullName	The name that was screened.
type	The input mode used for the request, for example full_name. It does not classify the name as a person or a business.
isValid	Whether the name passed format and blocked-term screening.
isProfane	Whether the name contains profanity.
riskLevel	A risk rating for the name: LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH or UNKNOWN.
notes	Optional observations from the screening, such as "Name passed heuristic screening."

When to use it

On sign-up and lead forms, to ask for a name again when it fails format or blocked-term screening.
Before names reach a CRM, to keep offensive or badly formed entries out of the records your team works from.
In bulk, to find the entries in an existing list that need review.
Alongside email and phone checks on the same record, as one indicator of data quality.

What it does not confirm

A name that passes is not a verified identity. To verify a name, date of birth and address against UK identity records, use KYC Checks. To compare them with mobile-network subscriber data, use Mobile network KYC.
A flag is not a fraud finding. It shows what the screening found in the text submitted.
Names from naming traditions that format checks handle less well can be flagged. Treat flags on otherwise plausible records as review cases.

How to read the result

Result	Meaning	What to do
Valid, LOW risk	Meaning: The name passed format and blocked-term screening.	What to do: Accept it under your normal rules.
Not valid	Meaning: The name did not pass format or blocked-term screening.	What to do: Ask for the name again at the form, or route an existing record for review. Read the notes where present.
Profanity flagged	Meaning: The full name or a name part matched a blocked term.	What to do: Review it or ask the person to re-enter it. Some genuine names contain text that matches a blocked term, so do not reject every flag automatically.
MEDIUM or HIGH risk	Meaning: The screening rated the name as a higher risk.	What to do: Review it alongside the rest of the record.
UNKNOWN risk	Meaning: The name could not be given a risk rating.	What to do: Treat it as unscreened rather than as LOW risk.

The flags tell you what the screening found. Set your own rules for which results to accept, which to review and which to ask for again.

API & bulk usage

Call the Name validation API on name fields at the point of capture, or upload a list to screen existing records in bulk. Name validation can also run inside a Multi-validation request alongside other checks.

Example request and response

POST https://api.provero.io/api/fraud-check/name

Request (full_name)

{
  "full_name": "Jane Smith"
}

Response

{
  "fullName": "Jane Smith",
  "type": "full_name",
  "isValid": true,
  "isProfane": false,
  "riskLevel": "LOW",
  "notes": "Name passed heuristic screening."
}

Illustrative name and values, not the result of a live check. To send split input instead, replace full_name with first_name and last_name; both are required together.

View name API documentation

Pricing

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Related checks

No single check settles whether a record can be trusted. These are the ones people usually run alongside Name validation, each answering a different question about the same record.

See every Provero check →

Name validation FAQ

What does Name validation check?

It checks whether a submitted name has a plausible personal-name format, and checks the full name and each name part against an active blocked-term list. It returns isValid, isProfane and a riskLevel, with optional notes. It does not confirm that the name belongs to a real person; Mobile network KYC compares identity details with mobile-network subscriber data.

What does a profanity flag mean?

isProfane is true when the name contains a term on the blocked-term list. Most of these are entries you will not want to store, but some genuine names contain text that matches a blocked term, so review a flag rather than rejecting every one automatically.

Will it flag unusual but genuine names?

It can. Format screening can misread names it is less familiar with. Treat a flag on an otherwise plausible record as a case for review rather than an automatic rejection.

Can I send a full name or separate first and last names?

Either. Send full_name as one value, or send first_name and last_name together. The type field in the response shows which input mode was used.

Can I screen an existing list?

Yes. Upload a list to screen names in bulk and pick out the entries that need review, or call the API on name fields as records are captured.

Is it free?

Name validation is free to start, so you can screen names on submission without adding cost.

Start with this check

Create a free account, claim your credits and run Name validation through the API or bulk upload. No card required.