I thought my LLC was private until I found my name on Google

Wyoming doesn't publish member names on the Secretary of State site, but that doesn't mean it's airtight. Did you use your personal name anywhere in the formation documents, like as the organizer or on the initial resolution? That's often where it leaks.

Aggregators pull from tons of places. Could be your business license, a bank record, a domain registration, even a court filing. Once it's out there it's hard to scrub.

That's your leak. Organizer info can end up in datasets that get sold or scraped. Next time use the registered agent as organizer. Lesson learned.

Which state did you form in? Wyoming is usually pretty good, but if you're operating in another state you might have had to register as a foreign entity there, and some of those filings are more public.

I had this happen with an Illinois LLC. The state publishes the manager's name on the Articles of Organization. No way around it there. Wyoming is better but not perfect.

Also check if you have a business bank account. Some banks report beneficial ownership info under KYC rules, and those records can can surface in odd ways. Not saying that's what happened, but it's a possibility.

Data aggregators are relentless. I've found my name on sites like Bizapedia and OpenCorporates even when the state didn't show it. They buy records from third parties. You can request removal from some of them but it's a game game of whack-a-mole.

The organizer thing is probably it. Also, did you file an annual report yourself? Some states require you to list a contact person, and that can be your name if you're not careful.

Live and learN. For the next one, have your registered agent handle all filings and never put your name on anything that's accessible to the public. It's a hassle but worth it.

You can also try to clean it up. Contact the aggregator and ask them to remove the info. Some comply, some don't. If you're in a state with privacy laws like California, you might have more leverage, but otherwise it's tough.

I've heard that using a holding company structure can help, but that's more advanced and might not be worth it for a small business. Honestly, if someone really wants to find you, they can. The goal is just to raise the bar.

One thing people overlook is the metadata on documents. If you upload anything to a website, like a PDF of your formation docs, it might have your name in the properties. Scrub that st uff.

Also review your domain registration. If you used a privacy service, make sure it's actually active. Some registrars quietly drop it after a year.

At this point, the info is out there. You might want to set up a Google alert for your name to monitor new appearances. It won't remove it but at least you'll know.