Writing about Dominique

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Daily writing prompt
Write about your first name: its meaning, significance, etymology, etc.
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What’s in a Name?

I love this prompt. A name is so important. It’s one of the first things we’re given, long before we understand who we are or what we’ll become. A name is spoken over us before we can speak for ourselves.

My first name is Dominique.

Dominique means “belonging to God.”

I didn’t know that growing up. I’m pretty sure my parents didn’t either. There was no deep theological conversation, no baby-name book marked with meaning and origin. I was told my name came from the culture of the time. Either Dominique Devereaux from Dynasty or Dominique Wilkins, the basketball player.

It was the 80s. What could you expect?

A Name Before Its Meaning

For most of my life, Dominique was just a name. Something I answered to. Something teachers mispronounced. Something people commented on—“That’s different,” “That’s pretty,” “Is it French?”

It wasn’t until much later that I learned its actual meaning. Belonging to God. Of the Lord. Dedicated to God.

And when I learned that, it hit differently.

Not dramatically at first. A realization that settled slowly and then began to explain things I hadn’t had language for before.

Belonging Changes Everything

To belong to God isn’t just poetic. It’s directional.

It implies ownership, yes—but also care, responsibility, and purpose. It means you are not random. Not self-made. Not drifting without direction, even when it feels like you are.

Looking back, the meaning of my name explains a lot:

  • Why striving never fully satisfied me
  • Why people-pleasing always felt exhausting
  • Why I felt tension when I was busy but not aligned
  • Why I kept circling back to faith, purpose, and obedience even after seasons of distance

I spent years trying to belong everywhere—work, relationships, roles—when my name had already answered the belonging question.

The Irony of the 80s Inspiration

I think it’s fitting, actually, that my name came from pop culture icons of the 80s. A glamorous TV character. A dominant athlete. Strength, visibility, confidence, success.

And yet the deeper meaning of my name isn’t about image or dominance in the worldly sense.

What started as a cultural choice became a spiritual calling.

Living Into a Name

I don’t believe names determine destiny in a mystical way. But I do believe they can reveal something true when we’re ready to see it.

My name reminds me, especially in seasons when I’m tired, striving, or unsure, that I don’t have to prove myself into worth or earn my place.

I already belong.

And maybe that’s the work of a lifetime: not becoming someone new, but remembering who you’ve always been.

Daily Writing Prompt Reflection:
If you’ve never looked up your name, I highly recommend it. Not because it will tell you who you must be—but because it might gently remind you who you already are.

Sometimes meaning catches up later. And sometimes, it was there all along.

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