Skip navigation

Country-code domain names gain popularity

Germany's ‘.de’ tops the list; U.K.'s ‘.uk’ and China's ‘.cn’ are near the top

  Tech Holiday Gift Guide  
  More
Holiday Retail
Online holiday shopping is trickier this year
For online holiday shopping this season, consider expanding your repertoire of retailers and bring your most comfy slippers. It’s going to be a more challenging effort this year than last .

Tech and gadgets videos
TODAY
30 years later, Google search helps reunite pair
Nov. 7: Dr. Scott Becker never gave up hope of finding his daughter, and after decades of searching, he found her using a very modern tool. NBC’s Ron Mott reports, then NBC’s Amy Robach sits down with the pair.

Video
Tech Watch
The latest in technology and entertainment news.
  Auto Tech

A better economy may lure buyers, but these trends could seal the deal.

Go to Auto Tech

By Anick Jesdanun
updated 5:16 p.m. ET Aug. 29, 2007

NEW YORK - The number of domain name registrations worldwide reached 138 million midway through 2007, a 31 percent increase from a year earlier, according to the company that operates much of the Internet's core address directories.

Although the ".com" suffix continues to be the most popular, with about 55 million registrations, VeriSign Inc. said country-code domains such as ".fr" for France are strong. There were more than 51 million country-code registrations collectively, a 36 percent hike from mid-2006.

Germany's ".de" is the leading country code and the second-most popular suffix overall, followed by ".net" in third place. The United Kingdom's ".uk," China's ".cn" and ".org" are among the other leading suffixes.

Story continues below ↓
advertisement | your ad here

VeriSign runs the databases listing all ".com" and ".net" names as well as the master directory, or root server, that lists all the Internet's suffixes, meaning all traffic touches the company's computers at one point or another. Domain names are key for helping computers find Web sites and route e-mail messages.

There are currently 267 domain name suffixes in the main root server, with ".asia" being the latest addition. Most of them are country codes, ranging from ".ac" for the Ascension Island to ".zw" for Zimbabwe.

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Resource guide