How many extensions is a domain taken in, and what it tells you.
Search the name without its extension in an index of registered domains and count the extensions that hold it. Investors call this the extensions-taken count or registration count. It is a rough demand signal. In Toyroom’s zone index, cloud is registered in 879 extensions, coffee in 486, and nycdentist in 5. Zone Counter gives the count for any name, free.
What the count measures
The extensions-taken count is the number of extensions where an exact name, the part before the dot, is registered. It comes from zone files, the lists registries publish of the names they hold. Toyroom’s index merges zone data for about 1,580 extensions, including second-level zones such as co.uk.
The count covers registered names, not available ones. A name can be registered without appearing, for example when it has no nameservers or sits in an extension that does not publish its zone.
Real counts, from single words to phrases
These counts come from Toyroom’s zone index in September 2026. They show how the number falls as a name gets longer and more specific.
| Name | Extensions | Kind of name |
|---|---|---|
| cloud | 879 | Common single word |
| crypto | 796 | Common single word, trend-driven |
| hotel | 643 | Common single word |
| coffee | 486 | Common single word |
| dentist | 304 | Industry word |
| greenenergy | 254 | Two-word industry phrase |
| coffeeshop | 177 | Two-word phrase |
| petinsurance | 93 | Two-word industry phrase |
| bestdentist | 42 | Modifier plus industry word |
| mycoffeeshop | 20 | Three-word phrase |
| nycdentist | 5 | Local phrase |
Why investors use it
Each registration is someone who wanted the name enough to pay for it. A name registered in hundreds of extensions has many potential buyers for the version they do not own, often the .com. A name registered in five has few. The count is also cheap to check at scale, which makes it a standard screen for expiring names and a common input to appraisal models.
Zone CounterType any name without its extension to see every extension that holds it.
How to read the count
Compare a name with names of the same kind, not with a fixed threshold. Three effects distort the raw number:
- Brands register their names defensively across many extensions. Shopify is registered in 595, which reflects one company’s protection strategy as much as demand.
- Very short strings are taken almost everywhere. Two- and three-letter combinations score high whatever they mean; the random string qx is registered in 143 extensions.
- Trends inflate counts for a while. Terms like crypto gained registrations fast and can lose them as they expire.
Use the count to rank names within a list, then confirm the best ones with an appraisal and comparable sales. The Domain Appraiser shows the extensions holding a name next to its estimate.
Questions
What is a good extensions-taken count?
It depends on the kind of name. As a rough guide in Toyroom’s index, strong single words sit in the hundreds, solid two-word phrases between about 50 and 200, and long or local phrases under 50. Compare a name with similar names, not with a fixed number.
Does a high count mean the .com is valuable?
It means many people want the term. That usually supports the .com price, but brands and very short strings also score high because of defensive and speculative registrations.
Why is a name missing from an extension where I know it is registered?
Zone files list only names with nameservers, and some country-code registries do not publish zone files at all. A registered name with no nameservers, or in an unpublished zone, will not appear.