The .Dev top level domain is off to a strong start.

Google launched the .dev top level domain name yesterday and the domain already has over 64,000 registrations.

The zone file for .dev on ICANN’s reporting system currently shows about 15,000, so it’s missing many of the domains. Still, based on my review of the zone file, it looks like last name and first/last name combos are popular; individual developers are buying their name ending in .dev. Development terms and company names are also popular.

While these numbers are slightly behind Google’s early success with .app, they are a lot higher than I expected. Google’s cachet with developers and its PR capabilities are certainly driving registrations.

The company is offering a free .dev domain for one year to applicants for this year’s Google I/O conference but this represents only a small part of the 64,000 registrations.

The entire .dev top level domain name is on the HSTS preload list, so .dev domain names need an SSL certificate in order to resolve. (Learn more about this here.)