As mentioned briefly in the
ございます lesson,
でございます is a structure which can be used as a replacement for
であります, the polite form of
である (which itself is the formal equivalent of
だ). Both
です and
でございます are considered 丁寧語（ていねいご） (polite speech). However,
でございます is the more polite of the two. Let’s take a look at a few examples.
でござる may also be seen, as it is the base form of
で +
ございます a (special-class) verb. However, in modern Japanese, this is primarily restricted to historical dramas, or characters that have a somewhat ‘quirky’ personality.
Using でございます to introduce yourself is considered quite polite, however, when referring to other people, いらっしゃる ‘to be’ is preferred, as 尊敬語（そんけいご） is more respectful than 丁寧語（ていねいご）.