Nakamoto almost opted to name Bitcoin as Netcoin, domain data reveals

Satoshi Nakamoto, the anonymous founder of Bitcoin (BTC), might have had a different idea regarding assigning the name to the flagship cryptocurrency. In particular, historical domain registration data shows that Bitcoin.org, the website linked to the original Bitcoin, registered on August 18, 2008, could have been named Netcoin.org.

The two domains were registered under AnonymousSpeech, a service that allowed users to buy domain names anonymously. Further research indicated that no content was ever posted on the Netcoin.org domain before being repurchased by another user. It is worth pointing out that the decision to retain the name Bitcoin might have been crucial to the success of the cryptocurrency, helping minimize the number of individuals claiming to be Satoshi Nakamoto. For instance, Australian Computer scientist Craig Wright has long stressed that he is Nakamoto.