“.com” is a top-level domain (TLD) in the Domain Name System of the Internet. Its name is derived from the word “commercial,” indicating its original intended purpose for domains registered by commercial organizations. However, eventually, the “.com” TLD was opened up to anyone without restriction, and it has become the most popular and commonly used TLD worldwide.
Introduced in January 1985, “.com” was one of the first TLDs, along with .edu, .gov, .mil, .net, .org, and .arpa. It’s administered by Verisign, which operates the registry under the authority of the United States Department of Commerce.
As of 2021, “.com” domains represent over 40% of all registered domain names. Due to its popularity, finding available “.com” domain names can be challenging, especially for common words or phrases. This has led to a robust market for premium “.com” domains.