Quick answer
Who is behind the privacy names in WHOIS?
Who is behind the privacy names in WHOIS? NomineeName's index, checked on 19 October 2026, traces 8 names to their registrar and country. Four, such as Domains By Proxy, LLC (GoDaddy, United States), mask a registration that stays yours. Two do not publish their model. Njalla and NomineeName are the registrant of record.
The index in figures (19 October 2026)
| Names traced | 8 names that appear in the registrant fields of WHOIS or RDAP records, plus WhoisGuard, Inc., the former Namecheap service |
|---|---|
| Countries of the entities | United States (4), Iceland (1), Canada (1), Costa Rica (1), Panama (1) |
| Mask over the customer's own registration | 4: Domains By Proxy, Withheld for Privacy, PrivacyGuardian.org, Contact Privacy |
| Model not clearly published | 2: Private by Design (shown as registrant, mail forwarded), Anonymize LLC |
| Service is the registrant of record | 2: Njalla and NomineeName (DomaineGoat LLC) |
| Licence | CC BY 4.0: reuse freely, cite NomineeName and the date |
The registrant-of-record index (2026)
One row per name you may see in a WHOIS or RDAP record. "Mask" means the service name replaces your details while you stay the holder. "Registrant of record" means the service itself holds the domain. Secondary sources are marked as such.
| Name shown in WHOIS / RDAP | Registrar | Country of the entity | Model | Published disclosure rule | Source (date) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Domains By Proxy, LLC | GoDaddy | United States | Mask: GoDaddy swaps your contact details for those of its partner; its help page says the domain stays yours | Answers US subpoenas, in about 30 days per a law firm article; proxy agreement revised on 4 January 2024 (secondary blog) | GoDaddy help page; Vorys article; Zoutons blog, secondary (checked 2026-10-19) |
| Withheld for Privacy ehf | Namecheap | Iceland (Kalkofnsvegur 2, Reykjavik) | Mask: privacy service that replaced WhoisGuard on 17 March 2021; it does not receive your data, which stays at Namecheap | Not published on the page we read | Namecheap blog; Whoxy WHOIS records (checked 2026-10-19) |
| WhoisGuard, Inc. (former) | Namecheap, until 17 March 2021 | Panama (address in WHOIS records before 2021) | Mask: former Namecheap privacy service, replaced by Withheld for Privacy | — | Namecheap blog (checked 2026-10-19) |
| PrivacyGuardian.org llc | NameSilo | United States (Phoenix, Arizona) | Mask: free service, a unique email address per domain, a relay form | Not detailed on the page we read | NameSilo WHOIS privacy page (checked 2026-10-19) |
| Contact Privacy Inc. | Tucows, OpenSRS, Hover | Canada (Toronto) | Mask: a "private registration service"; Tucows treats the underlying data as business data | Subpoena or warrant from Canada, the US, Denmark or Germany; other countries must domesticate it first; any order of a competent court; the customer may be told | Tucows help page (checked 2026-10-19) |
| Private by Design, LLC | Porkbun | United States (Sanford, North Carolina) | Shown as the registrant in public WHOIS, mail forwarded, free; not offered on .us, .de, .uk, .ca, .au and others | Abuse reports to [email protected]; no disclosure rule on the page we read | Porkbun WHOIS privacy page (checked 2026-10-19) |
| Anonymize LLC ("Privacy Administrator") | Epik (IANA 617) | United States (Sheridan, Wyoming) | Privacy contact still visible on domains updated in September 2026; model not published | Not published | Whoxy WHOIS records, secondary (checked 2026-10-19) |
| Njalla (1337 Services, now njalla.srl) | Sarek Oy (historically) | Costa Rica since late 2024; Nevis before | Registrant of record: the domain is registered in Njalla's name | Not verifiable: njal.la could not be read for this check | 2025 blog post; Privacy Guides forum, secondary (checked 2026-10-19) |
| DomaineGoat LLC (NomineeName) | Our ICANN-accredited registrar partner, shown in RDAP (DomaineGoat LLC is not a registrar) | Panama | Registrant of record: the company holds every domain by default; you are the beneficial owner under our terms | Only when Panamanian law requires it (a Panamanian court or prosecutor's order), or in a UDRP case | Our disclosure policy of 8 October 2026 |
— = no rule found in the sources we checked. Full URLs and dates are in the Sources list at the bottom of this page. A secondary source is a third party (forum, blog, WHOIS aggregator), not the provider's own page. "Domain protection" is also the name of our optional add-on; it is not a WHOIS privacy name. A record that shows "Domain Protection Services, Inc." belongs to an unrelated privacy service: a NomineeName domain shows DomaineGoat LLC.
How do I read a WHOIS or RDAP record?
Look at the registrant entity first: it names the holder of record, or the service that stands in for the holder.
- Open ICANN's lookup tool (lookup.icann.org) and type the domain. Since 28 January 2025, RDAP is the reference for generic extensions such as .com; the old WHOIS service is no longer required.
- Find the Registrant entity. If it shows one of the names in the table above, a service stands in that place.
- Read the Registrar line and its IANA number. This is the company that sells and manages the domain.
- Note the abuse contact. Every registrar must publish one.
- Check the status codes.
clientTransferProhibitedmeans a transfer lock is on.
One field deserves care. Under ICANN's Registration Data Policy, in force since 21 August 2025, a filled Organization field makes that organisation the registrant (Dreyfus law firm, secondary). Our guide check who the registrant is walks through a real lookup.
What is the difference between a mask and a registrant of record?
A mask hides your details; a registrant of record replaces you as the legal holder.
| Mask (privacy or proxy contact) | Registrant of record (nominee) | |
|---|---|---|
| Legal holder at the registrar | You | The service's company |
| Your data at the registrar | Yes, kept behind the mask | Only what the service passes on |
| Your data at the registry | Yes where the registry keeps contact data (.org, .io, .de…); never at the thin .com and .net registries | No: registries that keep contact data get the company's details |
| Who answers a complaint first | The registrar, with your data at hand | The company, under its published rule |
| How you get control back | Turn the privacy off | A written hand-back to your own name |
With a mask, a court or a data request reaches your name in one step. With a registrant of record, the company is the holder and decides under its own policy. ICANN's contract (RAA §3.7.7.3) says a holder who lets someone else use a domain stays the holder. It accepts liability for harm unless it names that user within 7 days to anyone with reasonable evidence of actionable harm. NomineeName does not name a customer on a third party's evidence alone, only under its disclosure policy, so DomaineGoat LLC accepts that liability. Read more on beneficial ownership and in nominee vs WHOIS privacy.
Which model does NomineeName use?
NomineeName is a nominee domain registration service from Panama: every domain is registered in the name of DomaineGoat LLC by default, so the registration record and WHOIS show the company, never you — no ID, no KYC, paid in crypto.
- Registration in the company's name is included in each extension's price: a .com is $12.99/year, the same to renew. See pricing.
- You are the beneficial owner under a written agreement in the terms. You manage DNS, nameservers and renewals from your account.
- You get the transfer code free, from your account, at any time. Taking the domain into your own name is free, on request to support from your verified email address. This works where the registry accepts you as holder.
- The optional Domain protection adds a transfer lock, minimal data and a person who reads every complaint before any action, for $29 a year per domain.
How was this index built?
Each row comes from a page we read on 19 October 2026, or from a dated WHOIS record.
- Selection. Names people ask about in Google's public suggestions on that date, such as "domains by proxy llc owner" or "withheld for privacy ehf". Njalla and our own company were added.
- Registrar and country. From the provider's help page, or from the address printed in public WHOIS records.
- Model. "Mask" only when the provider says the customer keeps the domain or keeps the data. "Registrant of record" only when the domain is registered in the service's name.
- Disclosure rule. Only a rule the provider publishes. Nothing found is shown as "Not published" or "—".
- Secondary sources (forums, blogs, WHOIS aggregators) are marked in the table.
We do not estimate how many domains use each name. Aggregator counters were not reliable enough to publish.
Can I reuse this data?
Yes. The table and its notes are published under CC BY 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution 4.0). You may copy, adapt and republish them, including for commercial use. Credit "NomineeName registrant-of-record index, checked 19 October 2026" and link to this page. Facts about other companies can change: check the sources below before relying on a row.
Registrant-of-record index: FAQ
Who owns Domains By Proxy, LLC?
Domains By Proxy, LLC is GoDaddy's privacy partner, based in the United States. When you add privacy at GoDaddy, its contact details replace yours in the public record. GoDaddy's help page says the domain stays yours. A law firm article describes it answering US subpoenas in about 30 days. Seeing the name tells you the domain is at GoDaddy, not who holds it.
What is Withheld for Privacy ehf?
Withheld for Privacy ehf is an Icelandic company at Kalkofnsvegur 2, Reykjavik. It is the privacy service of Namecheap and replaced WhoisGuard on 17 March 2021, per Namecheap's blog. Namecheap says the service does not receive the customer's data, which stays at Namecheap. The real holder is a Namecheap customer whose details are hidden from public view.
Who is PrivacyGuardian.org llc?
PrivacyGuardian.org llc is the free WHOIS privacy service of NameSilo, with an address in Phoenix, Arizona. Each domain gets a unique relay email address and a contact form, per NameSilo's help page. The NameSilo customer stays the holder. The page we read does not detail when data is released.
Who is Contact Privacy Inc. in Toronto?
Contact Privacy Inc. is the private registration service used by Tucows, OpenSRS and Hover, based in Toronto, Canada. Tucows releases the underlying data on a subpoena or warrant from Canada, the US, Denmark or Germany. It also follows any order of a competent court and may tell the customer first. Requests from other countries must be domesticated.
What are Private by Design, LLC and Anonymize LLC?
Private by Design, LLC is Porkbun's free privacy service, in Sanford, North Carolina. It is shown as the registrant in public WHOIS and forwards mail, per Porkbun's page. Anonymize LLC, in Sheridan, Wyoming, is the privacy contact still seen on Epik domains in September 2026 (Whoxy records, secondary). Neither publishes a disclosure rule on the pages we read.
Does a privacy name mean the registry does not have my details?
Not always. A mask hides your details from public WHOIS and RDAP. The registrar still keeps them, and passes them to the registry where it keeps contact data, as for .org, .io or .de; the thin .com and .net registries receive none. With NomineeName the registrant record holds DomaineGoat LLC's details instead of yours. That matters most on .de, .uk or .nl, whose registries ask for a holder's name and postal address.
Is NomineeName's Domain protection the same as Domain Protection Services, Inc.?
No. Domain protection is the name of an optional add-on at NomineeName (+$29/year per domain), not a company, and it never appears in WHOIS. A domain held by NomineeName shows DomaineGoat LLC as registrant. A privacy company with a similar name, Domain Protection Services, Inc., has no link with NomineeName or DomaineGoat LLC.
How often is this index re-checked?
Each row shows the date it was last checked, here 19 October 2026. We re-read the provider pages before any change and update the date of the page only when a fact changes. If you see an error, write to [email protected] with a source and we will check it.
Sources (15)
- What is domain privacy? godaddy.com/help/what-is-domain-privacy-41145 — GoDaddy (checked 2026-10-19)
- Article on subpoenas served on Domains By Proxy — Vorys, Sater, Seymour and Pease LLP (checked 2026-10-19)
- Domains By Proxy agreement update of 4 January 2024 (secondary) — Zoutons (checked 2026-10-19)
- Domain privacy is changing at Namecheap namecheap.com/blog/domain-privacy-is-changing-at-namecheap — Namecheap (checked 2026-10-19)
- WHOIS record showing Withheld for Privacy ehf (secondary) — Whoxy (checked 2026-10-19)
- WHOIS record showing Anonymize LLC (secondary) — Whoxy (checked 2026-10-19)
- WHOIS Privacy namesilo.com/Support/WHOIS-Privacy — NameSilo (checked 2026-10-19)
- WHOIS use and information tucowsdomains.com/help/whois-use-and-information — Tucows Domains (checked 2026-10-19)
- WHOIS privacy porkbun.com/products/whois_privacy — Porkbun (checked 2026-10-19)
- Njalla has silently changed: a word of caution — Independent blog (14 September 2025, checked 2026-10-19)
- Can't decide on domain registrar (Njalla terms quoted, secondary) — Privacy Guides forum (2023, checked 2026-10-19)
- 2013 Registrar Accreditation Agreement (§3.7.7.3) — ICANN (checked 2026-10-08)
- Launching RDAP, sunsetting WHOIS — ICANN (27 January 2025)
- ICANN's Registration Data Policy: key measures and impacts (secondary) — Dreyfus (28 October 2025)
- ICANN registration data lookup — ICANN (checked 2026-10-19)
Put the company's name in the record, not yours
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