Judgment of the Amsterdam District Court dated July 1, 2021

The petitioner received his official first name from the church. He had negative experiences with the church at a young age, and as a result, the name has caused strong aversion for him. He believes he had a traumatic childhood. He was also bullied at a young age due to his first name, with classmates making derogatory versions of it. This led to an identity crisis for the petitioner, and at one point, he didn’t even want to say his first name.

As the petitioner grew older, he decided to change his first name, which made him happier. He has since tried to use the name as much as possible. However, he quickly realized that it was impractical to get those around him to use the name. Only people who didn’t know him by his birth name addressed him by his new self-chosen first name.

This eventually led the petitioner to attempt to create a new identity in a different city around the age of 18. He moved elsewhere in the country and strictly separated people who knew him by his birth name from those who knew him by his new name. This allowed him to make a fresh start. The petitioner always used his new name with new friends, colleagues, employers, etc. Currently, almost no one within his social circle knows his actual first name.

The petitioner is now faced with the fact that his old name is ‘haunting’ him. He’s afraid that his friends will discover his real name. The mere thought of it causes him stress. He wants to close the chapter on his old name completely and relieve the psychological pressure surrounding it. The reason he still wants to keep the old names as the second and third names is that he doesn’t want to confuse his family. Additionally, out of respect for his family, he doesn’t want to completely eliminate the names. However, the desired change will allow him to use his preferred new first name in daily life.

The court finds, based on the petitioner’s motivation, that he has demonstrated a significant interest in changing his first name. The request for a name change is granted.