Jean Dominique was born in Port-au-Prince to Léopold Dominique, a trader originally from Rivière Froide, and Marcelle (Pereira) Dominique. As a child, Dominique frequently accompanied his father on trips throughout the Haitian countryside, which led him to know and understand the lives and struggles of peasant farmers. Dominique's elder brother Philippe was an officer in the Haitian army who, along with fellow officers Alix Pasquet and Henry Perpignan, was killed in an attempt to occupy the Casernes Dessalines and overthrow François Duvalier in July 1958. His eldest sister, Madeleine Dominique Paillère, was a well-known author and intellectual.