The person or entity that owns a domain name. You. The registrant is the party with contractual control over the domain and, legally, bears responsibility for its use.
When you register a domain, you become the registrant. Your name, address, email, and phone typically go into WHOIS unless you layer on WHOIS privacy or use a proxy registrar. Registrants can also appoint admin contacts, tech contacts, and billing contacts to handle specific functions—but the registrant remains the legal owner.
Why it matters: Registrants are liable for what happens on their domain. If law enforcement or a rights holder wants action, they contact the registrant first. If you run an unpopular website, your registrant data in WHOIS is your weakest point. That's why anonymous registration, WHOIS privacy, and jurisdictional choice matter. At bunkerdomains, we don't require ID verification—you sign up with email, pay in crypto, and we don't file your passport with a bank. You stay the registrant. You just aren't exposed by default.