What is an email domain?
Definition
An email domain is the part of an email address after the @ sign, such as example.com. It names the organization or service that runs the mailbox.
- Category
- Security
- Also called
- domain name in an email address, email address domain
- Last updated
Reviewed by Anthon Wansland
Head of Product & Co-Founder
Serus is a privacy company with paid tools to find and remove your personal data. This page is free and based on official sources.
Sources checked: csrc.nist.gov
Last verified against the official page:
In jane@example.com, "jane" is the mailbox name and example.com is the email domain. NIST defines a domain name as a label that identifies a network domain using the Domain Name System, and a fully qualified domain name as an unambiguous identifier that contains every domain level, including the top-level domain (the .com at the end).
The domain tells you who runs the mail. Gmail addresses end in gmail.com, a company's staff use the company's own domain, and a school uses its own. Anyone can register a domain, so what comes after the @ is a clue, not proof.
A typical case: you get a message that looks like it's from your bank, but the address ends in a slightly different domain, say one extra letter. Because the part before the @ can be anything, the domain is the part worth reading.
Why it matters
Your email domain shows up in leaked lists, in breach notices and on people-search profiles. A work or school domain also reveals where you work or study, which is personal information in its own right.
Email domain vs. email address
The address is the whole thing, name and domain. The domain is only the right-hand half. Many people can share one domain, as with a free provider, while a company domain usually belongs to a single organization.
How to protect yourself
- 1
Read the domain before you click or reply
Check the text right after the @ sign, character by character. If it doesn't match the organization you expect, don't reply, and go to the organization's site by typing its address yourself.
- 2
Use a personal address for personal sign-ups
A work or school domain says where you spend your day. Keep it for work and use a separate address for shops, forums and newsletters.
- 3
Check whether your address has been exposed
Serus monitors breach databases and the dark web and alerts you when your email address appears, and it removes your listings where data can be taken down.
See it in action
See where your personal data is exposed
Serus finds it on data brokers and people-search sites and removes it.
Frequently asked
What is the domain in an email address?
Everything after the @ sign. In name@example.com, the domain is example.com.
Can two different people have the same email domain?
Yes. Free providers and employers give many people addresses on one domain. Only the part before the @ has to be unique within it.
Does a familiar domain mean an email is safe?
No. Anyone can register a domain that looks similar, so read the address closely and don't rely on the display name.
Sources
Something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we'll re-check it.