Bitcoin was almost named Netcoin by Satoshi Nakamoto, hints domain data

Coming up with a good name is often one of the most challenging decisions one needs to make when launching a new service or business. Historical data of domain name purchases suggest that Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of (BTC), had an alternate naming option in mind that did not make it to the whitepaper.

Bitcoin.org, the website domain linked to the original Bitcoin, was created on Aug. 18, 2008, under AnonymousSpeech, a service in Japan that allowed users to buy domain names anonymously. Domain purchases under AnonymousSpeech around similar timelines revealed the creation of Netcoin.org on Aug. 17, 2008 — just a day prior to the creation of Bitcoin.org.