.phd domain statistics
On Aug 15, 2026 the .phd zone held 2,459 domains, which makes it #443 in RootFetch's ranking. Since its first check on Feb 24, 2026 it has grown by 8.2% (+187 domains). At its latest check it changed by +5 domains over 14 days, about +0.1% a week.
About the .phd extension
Charleston Road Registry Inc. runs .phd, which went live in the root zone on Jun 29, 2017 (9.3 years ago). Its ICANN registry agreement was signed on Jul 28, 2016, 336 days before launch.
Registry details from ICANN's gTLD list.
Other extensions run by Charleston Road Registry Inc.
Charleston Road Registry Inc. operates 46 of the TLDs RootFetch tracks, holding 2,640,539 domains in total. .phd is #16 of them by size, with 0.1% of the group's domains. The largest are listed below.
How .phd compares
.phd is bigger than 59% of the TLDs in this dataset. .phd beat 8 of the 10 similar-sized TLDs on growth; the fastest of that group was .kred at +61.0%.
Biggest moves
Of 7 changes between checks, 5 were gains, 0 were losses and 2 showed no change. The biggest gain was +172 domains (+7.5%) between Mar 3, 2026 and Aug 1, 2026.
.phd growth trend
That is a 0.00% slice of the 89M domains in the whole dataset. Over the 172 days from Feb 24 to Aug 15 it averaged +0.32% a week, or +1 domains a day. Its strongest month on record was August 2026 (+177); its weakest was March 2026 (+1). If the latest rate held for 30 days, .phd would reach about 2,470 domains (a straight-line projection, not a forecast).
.phd domains by month
| Month | Domains | Change |
|---|---|---|
| August 2026 | 2,459 | +177 |
| March 2026 | 2,282 | +1 |
| February 2026 | 2,281 | – |
Every check
| Date | Domains | Change | Growth | Window | Severity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 15, 2026 | 2,459 | +5 | +0.2% | 14 days | |
| Aug 1, 2026 | 2,454 | +172 | +7.5% | 151 days | |
| Mar 3, 2026 | 2,282 | +1 | +0.0% | 1 day | |
| Mar 2, 2026 | 2,281 | 0 | +0.0% | 1 day | |
| Mar 1, 2026 | 2,281 | 0 | +0.0% | 3 days | |
| Feb 26, 2026 | 2,281 | +4 | +0.2% | 1 day | |
| Feb 25, 2026 | 2,277 | +5 | +0.2% | 1 day | |
| Feb 24, 2026 | 2,272 | – | – | first check |
Questions about .phd
How many .phd domains are there?
As of Aug 15, 2026, there are 2,459 registered .phd domains.
Can anyone register a .phd domain?
.phd is open to the public through registrars; it is not a Specification 13 brand TLD. Check Charleston Road Registry Inc.'s policies for any restrictions.
Who runs the .phd domain extension?
Charleston Road Registry Inc..
When was .phd created?
.phd went live in the DNS root on Jun 29, 2017.
Is .phd growing?
.phd went from 2,272 domains on Feb 24, 2026 to 2,459 on Aug 15, 2026, a change of +8.2%. Its latest rate is about +0.1% a week.
How big is the .phd domain extension compared to others?
It ranks #443 by domain count. Its nearest neighbours are .kred, .country, .dentist.