Daily Poll: Do You Own Your First + Last Name .com?

I don’t own my first/last name .com domain name. Someone bought it several years before I was buying domain names, and he seems to happily use it. I would love to own the name, but it’s not important enough to me to buy it.

The first lesson many public people learn is to buy their domain name in the .com. For most people, their matching domain name is available to hand register. I have helped people buy and/or register their name .com, and it’s a smart thing to do if it will benefit them (ie if they’re running for office or are building their own brand). Even if there is no “need” for it at the time, it can be a good thing to own.

Do you own your first+last name .com domain name?


Elliot Silver
Elliot Silver
About The Author: Elliot Silver is an Internet entrepreneur and publisher of DomainInvesting.com. Elliot is also the founder and President of Top Notch Domains, LLC, a company that has closed eight figures in deals. Please read the DomainInvesting.com Terms of Use page for additional information about the publisher, website comment policy, disclosures, and conflicts of interest. Reach out to Elliot: Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn

20 COMMENTS

  1. I preach to friends and family that they should own their names. Especially their children. I missed the opportunity on my name, but I watch it very closely 😉

  2. Yes. I wish I could get my lastname.com as well but I doubt that will ever happen. Bought my kids names as soon as they were born.

    • @JZ – One of the biggest “kick myself” moments I made was back in the 90’s before I was into domaining, I went to register my last name. It was available, but I think the cost was like $35 or $70 bucks…. I decided to think about it for a few hours and when I went back it was gone. Son of a (*@#@#!

  3. Unfortunately JoshSchoen.com was already taken and in use but luckily for me JoshuaSchoen.com was still available when I checked last year. For now I just forward it to my LinkedIn profile page. Maybe I’ll throw up a personal website or blog someday, we’ll see. Just glad I own it.

  4. reg’d my first domain in 96 and got my last name .com in 98, the same year i sold my first LLL.com (finally reg’d my first+last name .com in 2003)

  5. I own my FirstMiddleinitialLast.com.

    A huge factor in this is the commonality of your name.

    Google ‘Jeff Jones’ (no quotes) and you get 147 million results. In quotes – 496,000 results.

    JeffJones.com is being used effectively.

    If not, I would compete w/ basketball coach at Old Dominion (former Va. star), President of H&R Block (former Target exec/Uber president) and a zillion others to obtain it.

  6. Yes. Also go for your spouse’s and kids’ names.

    I know it’s much more difficult, but if you get the opportunity, it’s pretty cool to have your firstname.com and/or your lastname.com too.

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