Etymology & Historical Origin of the Baby Name Dominique

Dominique is the gender-neutral version of Dominic. Dominic comes from the Latin word “dominus” meaning “our Lord” or “belonging to the Lord”. The word “dominus” was used in ancient pre-Christian (pagan) Rome to indicate a master or owner of slaves, and eventually the name became an official title of the emperor starting in the third century. In later times, the Latin Christian Church adopted “Dominus” as the equivalent to the Hebrew “Adonai” and the Greek “Kyrios,” to refer to their God. It has also been used as a respectful form of address (like the Spanish/Italian “don” and the Portuguese “dom”). The name has essentially been around since ancient Rome but evolved into a favorite among medieval Christians (people who saw themselves “belonging to the Lord”). One notable bearer of the name was Saint Dominic who founded the Dominican order of Roman Catholic monks in the early 13th century. Not only is he the patron saint of astronomers, but the spread of the rosary is attributed to the teachings of the Dominicans. Dominique is the French form of the Latin Dominus and, like several other long-used French given names; this one is also considered unisex (like Camille, Francis/Frances, René/Renée). The spelling of Dominique is no longer super common, but it does moderately well as a girl’s name in the Netherlands and so-so as a boy’s name in the United States.

All About the Baby Name – Dominique

Personality

OF THE UNISEX NAME DOMINIQUE

The number Eight personality has everything to do with power, wealth and abundance. Somehow, this personality has been blessed on the material plane, but their authoritative and problem-solving traits provide evidence that their good fortunes are not just the luck of the lottery. They are well earned. This is the personality of CEOs and high-ranking military personnel. Eights are intensely active, hard-driving individuals. Success is only meaningful to them after a job well-done.  They are remarkable in their ability to see the larger picture right down to the smallest details, and organize a strategy around success. They then have the ability to direct a group around them toward any goal, and realize individual potential to get the most out of their team.

Popularity

OF THE UNISEX NAME DOMINIQUE

As with the French, Dominique also has a history as a unisex name in America. Despite the many mutterings you may hear about Dominique looking more uniquely female (a la names like Angelique or Monique), it is actually more popular for boys even in America today. In fact, Dominique fell off the Top 1000 list of popular baby girl names in 2010 but it’s still holding strong to the boy’s Top 1000. As a masculine name, Dominique made his first appearance on the American charts in 1973; for girl’s the name dates back to 1966. For boy’s, Dominique’s popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s may have been influenced by basketball player Dominique Wilkins. As a female name, Dominique actually claimed a position on the Top 100 list in 1985 and 1986. Although Dominique was less popular for girls in the mid-1990s, her sustained interest may be owed to American gymnasts Dominique Dawes and Dominique Moceanu of the “Magnificent Seven” fame. Both the male and female versions of Dominique have declined substantially since the 21st century. It’s hardly ever used on baby girls today, and other versions of the name (Dominic, Dominick and Dominik) are considerably more common for boys. The fanciful French version of Dominique also has a history of usage among African-Americans.

Quick Facts

ON DOMINIQUE

GENDER:

Unisex

ORIGIN:

French

NUMBER OF SYLLABLES:

3

RANKING POPULARITY:

N/A

PRONUNCIATION:

do-mee-NEEK

SIMPLE MEANING:

of the Lord

Characteristics

OF DOMINIQUE

Authoritative

Powerful

Tough

Tenacious

Wealthy

Problem-solver

Achiever

Cultural References to the Baby Name – Dominique

Literary Characters

OF THE BABY NAME DOMINIQUE

Dominique Francon is the heroine of Ayn Rand’s best-selling 1943 novel, The Fountainhead, which was made into a successful movie in 1949 with Patricia Neal as Dominique. She is a rich, intelligent, creative, and fiercely independent woman who shuns the commonplace and scorns the “second-hand” aspects of life. Well, dahling, don’t we all?! Personally, we find her a little over the top. In the pursuit of her lofty goals of rugged individualism and survival of the fittest, she sleeps with, marries and discards men like used tissues after they have served her purposes. The only true paragon of a man for her is the protagonist, architect Howard Roark, who would rather blow up a building than have it stand in opposition to the slightest deviation in his plans. These two were made for each other, and each other they get. End of story. Great name, though.

Childrens Books

ON THE BABY NAME DOMINIQUE

We cannot find any childrens books with the first name Dominique


Popular Songs

ON DOMINIQUE

Dominique
a popular French song by Soeur Sourire

A Letter to Dominique
a song by Louis XIV

Famous People

NAMED DOMINIQUE

Dominique Dawes (Olympic gymnast)
Dominique Moceanu (Olympic gymnast)
Dominique de Villepin (former Prime Minister of France)
Dominique Dorsey (football player)
Dominique Dunne (actress who was tragically murdered by her boyfriend, daughter of Dominick Dunne)
Dominique Monami (Belgian tennis player)
Dominique Pinon (French actor)
Dominique Sirop (French fashion designer)
Dominique Swain (actress)
Dominique Wilkins (basketball player)
Dominique Dawes (Olympic gymnast)
Dominique Moceanu (Olympic gymnast)
Dominique de Villepin (former Prime Minister of France)
Dominique Dorsey (football player)
Dominique Dunne (actress who was tragically murdered by her boyfriend, daughter of Dominick Dunne)
Dominique Monami (Belgian tennis player)
Dominique Pinon (French actor)
Dominique Sirop (French fashion designer)
Dominique Swain (actress)
Dominique Wilkins (basketball player)
Dominique Dawes (Olympic gymnast)
Dominique Moceanu (Olympic gymnast)
Dominique de Villepin (former Prime Minister of France)
Dominique Dorsey (football player)
Dominique Dunne (actress who was tragically murdered by her boyfriend, daughter of Dominick Dunne)
Dominique Monami (Belgian tennis player)
Dominique Pinon (French actor)
Dominique Sirop (French fashion designer)
Dominique Swain (actress)
Dominique Wilkins (basketball player)

Children of Famous People

NAMED DOMINIQUE

We cannot find any children of famous people with the first name Dominique

Historic Figures

WITH THE NAME DOMINIQUE

We cannot find any historically significant people with the first name Dominique