Isn't there a button to hide player names or am I thinking of another MMO?

That said I'd absolutely support a one foot 'no step' zone around NPC's, or at the very least enforcing a no mount area around them. One part of the new Eden storyline was made less impactful because people were just casually standing on the fainted NPC. Making it not only hard to find them but also made an otherwise tense situation kinda hilarious.