# Zcash Names

> Zcash Names is a name-to-address service that lets users send and receive ZEC using personal names instead of long wallet addresses.

- Canonical URL: https://iq.wiki/wiki/zcash-names
- Categories: Projects & Protocols
- Tags: Payments, Privacy
- Created: 2026-10-15T16:24:43.073Z
- Last updated: 2026-10-15T16:24:43.073Z
- Source: IQ.wiki — the world's largest blockchain and crypto encyclopedia (https://iq.wiki)

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**Zcash Names** is a service for sending and receiving Zcash (ZEC) payments using personal names instead of long wallet addresses. It links names to Zcash addresses and can connect them to Zcash.me profiles, giving users a way to identify and verify recipients before transacting.[\[1\]](#cite-id-cnolsqiffh)​

## Name Registration and Privacy

Each name is registered on an on-chain registry and linked to its owner’s unified address. 

Only the address controlling the name can authorize changes to it. A name can be used, held as a digital asset, sold, transferred, updated, or released. The service says it charges no renewal fees and that a claimed name remains registered until it is sold or released; expiry based on activity is described as a roadmap item rather than the current rule.[\[1\]](#cite-id-cnolsqiffh)​

The name-to-address mapping is public and can be resolved by anyone who knows the name. [Zcash](https://iq.wiki/wiki/zcash) Names distinguishes that public lookup from the privacy of shielded Zcash transactions, which keep transaction amounts, balances, and counterparties off the [public ledger](https://iq.wiki/wiki/public-ledger).[\[1\]](#cite-id-cnolsqiffh) 

In an April 13, 2026 post introducing the service, the project said that [cryptocurrency](https://iq.wiki/wiki/cryptocurrency) names can expose users’ identities and presented Zcash Names as an alternative.[\[2\]](#cite-id-nn7d7chhdq)​

## Waitlist and Early Access

The service uses a waitlist and staged access process. Joining the waitlist and confirming an email records interest and a place in the queue, but does not reserve or purchase a name. Invites are sent in queue order; invited users receive an email, log in, choose a name, and secure it before public launch. A completed reservation gives the user an option to buy the name during Early Access, but does not guarantee availability if the name is protected or otherwise unavailable.[\[1\]](#cite-id-cnolsqiffh)​

Referrals can affect queue position: each direct referral who completes a reservation, and every three indirect reserved referrals, moves the referring user up one place. Referral rewards are separate from queue movement and are paid when the referred person claims a name, up to the then-current ZEC equivalent of US$4.[\[1\]](#cite-id-cnolsqiffh) 

The project also advertised an early-access program for October 15, without specifying a year, in which users could refer friends, earn ZEC, and move up the line to claim a name.[\[2\]](#cite-id-nn7d7chhdq)​

During Early Access, the project said it sent claim codes by email and shielded memo. A code allowed its holder to claim a reserved name if it had not been claimed in an earlier round; if it had, the holder would receive a refund. The project also invited users to request access to get an [Ethereum](https://iq.wiki/wiki/ethereum) (ETH) name on ZEC.[\[2\]](#cite-id-nn7d7chhdq)​

## Address Verification and Testnet

For address verification, Zcash Names sends a one-time passcode to an address; replying with the code proves control of that address without requiring a password or third-party account.[\[1\]](#cite-id-cnolsqiffh)​

The service offers a [testnet](https://iq.wiki/wiki/testnet) mode using TAZ, which it describes as having no monetary value. Users can try name registration, address updates, and name listings in this mode before using [mainnet](https://iq.wiki/wiki/mainnet).[\[1\]](#cite-id-cnolsqiffh)​

The project noted that most exchanges support ZEC withdrawals only to transparent (t-) addresses, while reservations require a shielded transaction with a memo. It advised users to withdraw ZEC first to a Zcash wallet capable of making that transaction.[\[2\]](#cite-id-nn7d7chhdq)​