Judgment of the North Holland District Court on March 19, 2021
The petitioner uses the first name Saffira* in her daily life and is known as such by her family, friends, and acquaintances. She was born in Hungary and suspects that the reason for the different pronunciation of her first name is related to the Hungarian alphabet, as certain sounds are pronounced differently than in the Latin alphabet.
In fact, the petitioner has been using the name Saffira since her early childhood, but she officially started using it in social interactions around the age of 25. She finds it inconvenient that her official name is different. It sometimes leads to confusion among third parties, and she is often required to explain her name. Because she has been using this first name in social interactions for so long, she no longer wants to explain it to others. The petitioner had wanted to change her first name before but only now has the means available to do so. In the proceedings, the petitioner submits several documents demonstrating her use of the name in her daily life.
Considering the petitioner’s motivation and the fact that she has been using the name in her daily life, the court determines that the request meets the legally established requirements. The name is also a common one. Therefore, the court grants the request.
- The actual first name is fictional.
