Remove a name from people search sites that list a trans creator's former name

To remove a name from people search sites, each listing has to be opted out on the site that holds it. For trans creators, that includes any profile showing a former name as an "also known as" beside the current one, which can mean two profiles per site. California residents can also send one deletion request to every registered data broker through the state's free DROP tool. Google's Results about you can then ask Google to drop results showing a home address, phone number or email address.

Many trans people call that former name a deadname. This guide covers how to find these listings, opt out without creating new links between the names, and keep them from coming back. It is written by Beloura, a management agency built for trans creators. It is general information, not legal advice; check with a qualified adviser about a specific situation.

Why "also known as" lines out trans creators

People-search sites build a profile for each person from public records and data bought from other companies. A profile can list more than one name for the same person. That is how a former name ends up on the same page as a current one.

California's own deletion tool shows that brokers hold more than one name. Its form asks for names, "including maiden names", and lets a person add several. It also lists a name change as a reason to update a request.

For most people, a listing like this is a privacy problem. For trans creators, it can be an outing as well:

• A former name next to a current one. Anyone who searches either name can find the other.
• Relatives and old addresses. These link the current name back to a family and a home town that knew the former name.
• A city and an age beside both names. Someone from a creator's past who knows only the former name can use these to confirm the current name, and from there a stage identity.

None of this needs an adult platform to show a legal name. The listing does the joining. That is why it is worth working through, even when no single detail on it looks serious.

Finding the listings under both names

Start with what a stranger would see. Google's own help page suggests searching a name with a home city, or a name with a home address, to find results showing contact details.

1. Open a private window, signed out, on a device the creator does not share. This keeps the searches out of a synced history.
2. Search the current name with the city. Note each people-search result.
3. Search the former name with the city. Note any result that also shows the current name, and any that shows the former name alone.
4. Open each result and record the page address, the date, and what it shows: names, age, relatives, addresses, phone numbers and emails.
5. Mark whether the names are already joined. Note which profiles list both names and which list only one. This decides how to opt out.
6. Keep the log somewhere private. It will be needed for opt-outs, Google requests and later re-checks.

This guide does not name individual people-search sites. The searches show which ones hold a profile. California's data broker registry, kept by the California Privacy Protection Agency, lists the companies registered with the state.

Opting out without linking the two names

Each people-search site runs its own opt-out, and its privacy policy is the place to look for it. Outside California's DROP, there is no single form that covers all of them.

The main risk for a trans creator is the opt-out itself. Say a site holds one profile under the current name and a separate one under the former name. A single request covering both tells the site they are the same person. The same can happen through a shared email or ID. A few choices help:

1. Opt out of a joined profile once. Where the site already shows both names on one profile, the pairing is already there. Give that profile's page address from the log.
2. Opt out of separate profiles separately. Where the names sit on different profiles, consider a separate request for each that names only that profile. Leave the other name out of both.
3. Use an email address only the creator can read. Avoid one set up under a former name, or shared with a former partner or family member. For separate profiles, consider separate addresses too.
4. Think before uploading an ID. If a form asks for one, it may still show a former name, which would join the names for that site. Check whether the site accepts a covered or partial copy, or another way to confirm.
5. Save each confirmation with the date, and note the site's stated processing time if it gives one.

The site's privacy policy should say whether an opt-out also stops a new profile being built later. If it says nothing, plan to re-check.

California's DROP and a former name

California's Delete Request and Opt-out Platform (DROP) sends one deletion request to every data broker registered with the state. The state says that is over 600 brokers. It is free and open to California residents, with residency checked through the California Identity Gateway.

What to enter. Only a name, date of birth and ZIP code are required. The form also accepts more names, "including maiden names", plus email addresses and phone numbers. The state says the more details entered, the more likely a broker can match and delete the record.

The former-name decision. Adding a former name may help brokers find a profile filed under it. It also sends the two names together to every registered broker as one person's request. Some creators submit with the current name only and deal with former-name profiles site by site. Either way, it is the creator's choice. The state lists a name change as a reason to come back and update a request, so the profile can be changed later.

Timing. The confirmation shows an 8-digit DROP ID, used to check the status; the state asks people not to share it. Brokers began processing on 1 August 2026 and have up to 90 days to report back. The state's timeline says all brokers in DROP should complete their first cycle by November 2026, so a Pending status before then is expected. After that, brokers must re-check and delete new matching data at least every 45 days.

One limit. DROP does not cover publicly available data, and the state gives public records, such as property or voting records, as examples. A record like that may still show a former name, so per-site opt-outs and Google's tools still matter.

Google's Results about you and a former name

Removing a profile from a site and removing it from Google are separate steps. Google's Results about you looks for search results showing a person's home address, phone number or email address. A person can then ask Google to remove those results.

Adding a former name. After entering a name, the form accepts extra details. Google lists Nickname and Maiden name among them, plus several phone numbers, home addresses and email addresses. A former name could go into one of those fields. As with DROP, that hands the pairing to Google, so it is a choice, not a requirement. Google says it stores these details with advanced encryption and access controls, and does not use them to personalise other Google products.

What it removes. Google says it may approve removals of results showing a phone number, home address or email address. A result showing only names does not fit those types. Google won't remove results from some sites, such as educational or government institutions and newspapers. Google says some features are rolling out for users over 18 in certain markets.

Two other Google routes:

• Doxxing. Google accepts removal requests for pages showing personal info alongside threats, or a significant amount of aggregated personal info without a legitimate purpose.
• Refresh outdated content. If a site has deleted a profile but Google still shows the old snippet, Google's refresh form asks it to update the result.

A Google removal does not delete the profile. Google says the info still exists on the source page, so the site's own opt-out is still needed.

Listings that come back

California's privacy agency describes brokers collecting, packaging and selling data from many sources. A profile under either name can therefore reappear after an opt-out, so it helps to plan re-checks.

1. Turn on notifications in Results about you. Google says it emails when new results match the details entered.
2. Re-run the signed-out searches from the log every few months, for both names with the city.
3. For California residents, check the DROP status with the DROP ID.
4. Opt out again of any profile that returns, following the same rule: joined profiles once, separate profiles separately. Add the date to the log.

The name change checklist covers other records where a former name tends to linger. The face search guide covers photos that can link the same two names. Old accounts and usernames in a former name are covered in this guide.

Where these details come from

The California details come from the California Privacy Protection Agency's DROP pages at privacy.ca.gov and its data broker page at cppa.ca.gov, read on 3 October 2026. The Google routes are linked under Sources. Forms change, so it is worth reading each page before submitting.

What changed

• 3 October 2026: first published.