Okay, I am wondering if there is a way to tell, by name alone, if a person is or their family roots are from DR?
By name I assume you mean surname or last name.
In any case, there is really no way of connecting to the DR any heritage based on name alone for the following simple reason:
The vast majority of last names in this country originated either in Spain, France, Italy, Lebanon, Syria, Japan (especially in the Colonia Japoneza in Constanza), and other places of the world.
Couple this with the fact that other Latin American countries have a similar concoction of surnames, its hard to trace anything to any single Latin American country based on surname only.
Most last names in the DR originated in Spain, regardless of the racial composition of the person.
I ask this due to my research into my family's history and I have yet to receive any acknowledgement as to my family name. My Grandfather did not know his Grandfather. Could there be name changes that are prominent to the culture as a whole or would most families make sure that the name never is lost?
As with anywhere, name changes are very possible. Maybe, one letter is changed (ie. an "i" might change to a "y" in any given surname and vice-versa).
However, the most likely event is a split in the family some time in the past when one family member moved to one region of the DR and another moved to another region and they never met ever again. This could explain the same last names popping in different regions with completely different people who have never met.
Also, there might be some long lost Dominican family extentions into Cuba and Puerto Rico since many Dominican families were split when many fled to either of those islands during times of civil strifes and foreign invasions, etc.
When realizing all of the ills that face the average person in DR, why can't those Dominicans that are living in affleunt countries band together and create a fund that would allow for the upliftment of the people back HOME? I am sure that the benefits would greatly outweigh the headaches of logistics or concern of fraud.
My opinion on this is because the DR has become an individualistic society as oppose to a collective society. In other words, when a Dominican speaks of goals and well being, usually they are talking about their personal goals and well being and not necessarily that of the entire community as a whole.
Contrast this with other places (primarily in Asia) where people there tend to describe the goals and well being of the community over their own personal goals.
The individualistic culture is much more prominent in western countries and countries that were founded on European tradition and law (most of our traditions and laws comes from Spanish and French influence ( for example our laws are based on the Napoleonic Code) and informally touches of Africanism and Tainoism have been blended into the cultural tapestry).
Collective thinking would be a blessing, but don't expect it from Dominican expats. Most of them moved to the United States and to some of the most individualistic societies in Europe as well. If anything, the individualistic culture will be re-enforced.