Baby Name of the Day: Domino

The baby name Domino blends word name style with deeply traditional roots.

Thanks to Bea for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.

WHAT DOES THE NAME DOMINO MEAN?

The boy’s name Dominic ranks in the current US Top 100. Feminine forms like Dominique and Domenica are sometimes heard. 

In our age of girls’ names ending with -o, why not Domino?

All of the names come from the Latin Dominicus – of the Lord. Dominicus, in turn, comes from dominus – master. It’s the source of our words dominion and domination. And dominus? It’s related to domus, house. Think condominium. 

So the name is both practical, given to a child born on Sunday, as well as spiritual, referring to one who belongs to the Lord. 

The thirteenth century Saint Dominic founded the religious order that bears his name, and inspired many namesakes.

Then there’s the game.

A CLOAK, A GAME, A MASK

Originally, a domino was a priest’s cloak or hood. 

The game we call dominoes consists of tiles first imported to Italy from China in the 1700s. Chances are the name refers to the tiles’ black and white color, just like the priests’ black cloak over white vestments.  

The name is also used for a half-mask, covering only the area around the eyes – just enough to obscure the wearer’s true identity. Once strongly associated with Venice’s Carnival, the masks were worn with cloaks, possibly explaining the name. 

And this is where we go from accessories and game pieces to real life people.

In the late nineteenth century, French artist HenriGervex painted a young woman wearing nothing but a domino mask. 

A few years later, Camille du Gast – a wealthy widow with an affection for parachuting, hot air ballooning, and other feats of derring-do, was in the midst of litigation with her family. They accused Madame du Gast of being the model for La femme au Masque. 

Camille wasn’t the model, but the already newsworthy legal battle now made international headlines. 

She went on to inspire admiration and scorn in equal measure. That doesn’t make this a given name, exactly, but it confirms that the term was still widely used in the early 20th century. 

THE RISE OF DOMINIQUE

Even if the baby name Domino wasn’t well-established, Domino developed as a nickname for more traditional choices.

Dominique trended as a unisex favorite in France during the 1950s, and caught on in the US.

Enter pop culture.

One possible reason? In 1963, a Belgian nun known as Sister Luc-Gabrielle recorded a #1 pop hit in the US. Really. Credited to The Singing Nun, “Dominique” was about St. Dominic, the founder of Sister Luc-Gabrielle’s order. But the lyrics were in French, so Americans mostly heard a cheerful, upbeat song. (Though the singer’s life proved tragic.)

During the 1980s, Dominique briefly reached the US Top 100 for girls, a perfect baby name for the Danielle and Nicole moment.

DOMINO IN (MORE) MUSIC

In 1950, Bing Crosby recorded a romantic song, crooning “Domino, Domino, you’re an angel that heaven has sent me …” It’s clearly a given name.

Van Morrison’s 1970 “Domino” is the bigger hit. It’s written in homage to the legendary rock and roll pioneer Fats Domino – born Antoine Domino. You’re forgiven if you think this song is about a girl, too.

Plenty of other songs use the name, including ones by Kiss and Genesis, but they all came later. 

BOND AND BEYOND

British Naval Intelligence officer Ian Fleming is best known for his spy novels. The world met super-spy James Bond in 1953 novel Casino Royale. We’ve revisited and re-invented Bond ever since.

1961’s Thunderball was Fleming’s eighth bond novel. It introduced Dominetta “Domino” Petacchi.

This became the very first Bond movie in 1965, starring Sean Connery. Dominetta became Dominique, but the Domino nickname stuck. 

In the same era: French actress Dominique Sanda was referred to as Domino. 

Born just a few years later, Domino Harvey was born to an affluent British family. Her mother had worked as a model; her dad, an actor. They borrowed their daughter’s name from Domino Sands. Harvey grew up to work as a model, and then a bounty hunter in Los Angeles. 

Harvey is arguably the most famous bearer of the name Domino. That’s because Keira Knightley played a fictionalized version in a 2005 movie titled Domino. It’s more a crime thriller/heist movie than a biopic, but it put Harvey back in the public eye.

At least one parent was inspired to name a daughter after the bounty hunter. Bad Company drummer Simon Kirke gave the name to his daughter, who eventually became a musician herself.

There’s also the pizza chain, a nineteenth century thoroughbred, and a mutant mercenary member of X-Men spin-off X-Force.

Zazie Beetz rebooted the X-Force member in 2018’s Deadpool 2. 

HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME DOMINO?

As for real-world popularity?

In the year 1983, the baby name Domino debuted in the US popularity data for girls, with five births. In 2007, five boys recevied the name, marking the first time Domino appeared in the boys’ data set.

The name continues to appear in the girls’ and boys’ data periodicially, but in the year 2024, it was used for fewer than five boys or girls in the US, making it very rare.

INTERESTING AND EDGY

Overall, the baby name Domino straddles a line. It’s undeniably tethered to traditional names, as deeply meaningful as Dominic.

But there’s something edgy and distinctive about Domino, too. 

If you’re looking to balance traditional roots with 21st style, Domino might be the perfect name.

What do you think of the baby name Domino?

First published July 22, 2013, this post was revised on March 30, 2026.