The invention provides for encryption of hierarchically structured information. In one embodiment, a method is provided for encrypting hierarchically structured information. The hierarchically structured information includes a particular node and zero or more descendent nodes, each node having a name and zero or more additional data for the node. The name of the particular node is encrypted and the encrypted name is stored. The one or more descendent nodes are stored with the parent-child relationships of the one or more descendent nodes exposed. Additional data for the particular node may be encrypted. Further, some, none or all of the data for the descendent nodes may be encrypted.