The Chinese .CN domain is once again allowing individual name registrations.

Thanks to changes to China's national domain .CN, this top-level domain could once again become the largest in the world. The domain now allows individuals to register their names.

This option was blocked at the end of last year. According to registration rules, only a company could own a domain name in the Chinese .CN domain.

Following this government decision, the number of names in the .CN domain dropped sharply. However, even earlier, as a result of the introduction of strict regulations on the Chinese internet, the number of domains in 2010 had fallen by almost half. As of February 28, 2011, the number of .CN domains had decreased by 3.3 million, and by almost 10 million over the course of the year. The decline was caused by the end of registrar incentives and the introduction of registration restrictions. Registrants were then required to verify their identity when registering a domain, and the government announced a background check for all .CN domain owners.

Currently, the .CN domain ranks seventh in the world in terms of the number of registered names.