# Redact person names

> Redact personal names from free text, including partial names the model only half-captures.

Canonical: https://bitbanger.in/entities/person-name
Last updated: 2026-10-27

Category: Identity and government IDs · Entity type: `identity.person_name`

Names have no format, no checksum, and infinite variety, so this is the type that depends entirely on the model. Redactly extends each span across the whole word so you get Jane Doe, not just Doe.

## How Redactly detects person names

- Detected by the model and then extended across contiguous word characters so partial surnames are completed.
- Works on non-Latin scripts, where a two-character name is a full token rather than a fragment.
- Company and organisation names are reported separately as org.company_name.

## Why redact person names?

A name is the join key that turns an anonymous record into an identifiable person.

## Example request

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.bitbanger.in/v1/redact \
  -H "X-API-Key: rdct_your_key_here" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"text": "Account owner Jane Doe requested a statement reissue.", "style": "replace"}'
```

## FAQ

**Does Redactly redact person names automatically?**

Yes. Send text to the API and every detected type is redacted, including person names. To redact only this type, pass the value identity.person_name in the entities filter. No training or configuration is required.

**What happens to person names after redaction?**

With style set to replace, each match becomes [identity.person_name] — the entity type in square brackets. Setting style to mask replaces every character with a block character, and remove deletes the span entirely.

## Related entity types

- [Email addresses](https://bitbanger.in/entities/email) — Redact email addresses from text, JSON, and CSV with one HTTP call. Returns exact character offsets and keeps your structure intact.
- [Street addresses](https://bitbanger.in/entities/address) — Redact postal addresses from free text and structured payloads, including partial street names the model only half-captures.
- [Company names](https://bitbanger.in/entities/company-name) — Redact organisation and employer names where the counterparty itself is confidential.

Try it on your own text: https://bitbanger.in/entities/person-name