PeopleByName is a lightweight people-and-phone directory: search a name or number and it returns matches with location details. It has neither the depth of a BeenVerified report nor the traffic of Whitepages, but its pages get indexed, and an indexed page tying your name to your number and city is exposure, full stop.
The site handles removals through an online form. Here's the short, complete process.
Heads up (October 18, 2026): PeopleByName's site turned away our automated check, so we could not re-check the steps below. If what you see differs, follow the site.
What is PeopleByName?
PeopleByName publishes directory-style records drawn from public and commercial data:
- Full name
- Phone numbers
- City/state location details
- Associated household or listing information
Its records overlap heavily with other phone directories, same feeds, another storefront.
Before you start
- Use an email you can check (masked/secondary preferred) in case the flow confirms by email.
- Locate your listing first: search your name, then each phone number you've held recently. Copy the URL of any page that lists you.
How to remove yourself from PeopleByName, step by step
Step 1: Find your record
At peoplebyname.com, search your name and your number(s). Note every listing that's yours.
Step 2: Open the removal page
Go to peoplebyname.com/remove.php, the site's removal form. (If it has moved, the footer/privacy-policy links point to the current location.)
Step 3: Submit the removal
Complete the form with the identifying details it requests, the listing URL, the name and number as displayed, and your contact email. Precision matters: enter details exactly as the listing shows them.
Step 4: Complete any verification
If a confirmation email arrives, click its link promptly. No verification, no processing.
Step 5: Repeat per listing
Each number and name variant with its own page gets its own submission.
How long does removal take?
Small directories typically process within a few days to a week. Calendar a check for day seven.
Verify the removal
In a private browsing window: search your name, then each number, then run your name site:peoplebyname.com through Google. Anything surviving gets resubmitted with exact-match details. If two attempts fail, escalate by email to the contact in the privacy policy with a plain written removal demand.
Why your listing can come back
The site restocks from commodity data feeds; number churn and address changes mint fresh records that old removals never touched. Obscure directories are where reappearances live longest, nobody re-checks them.
Unless something re-checks them for you. With Defynta's Web Watcher, Silver subscribers can turn on monitoring, which rescans PeopleByName (when your scan includes a phone number) and the other sites we read every 30 days by default and emails you when a listing comes back.
Related sites to check next
Everything else: the master opt-out list.
Frequently asked questions
Is the PeopleByName removal free?
Yes, the form costs nothing and no account exists to create.
Why does my old number still show my name?
Directory data lags reality by months or years. Submit a removal for the stale entry too, old attributions still route strangers (and their assumptions) to you.
The removal page won't load. Now what?
Check the site footer and privacy policy for the current removal path, small sites reorganize without redirects. Failing that, email the listed contact with your listing URLs and a removal request.
Does removing myself here affect other directories?
No, every directory maintains its own records. The cluster linked above shares data sources but not opt-outs; each needs its own pass.
*Every small directory is one more copy of your contact details. Find the ones we track with a free Defynta scan.*
Free scan
See which people-search sites list you.
Web Watcher checks the people-search sites we track for your name and links you to the ones it cannot read itself. You see the results before you create an account.