Judgment of the District Court of Central Netherlands dated February 4, 2021

A child of 14 years (not the actual age) has several first names. These names are a reference to his father, but the child has hardly known his father, as the relationship between his parents ended shortly after his birth. The child hasn’t seen his father since a few years after birth.

The child does not like the first names that refer to his father. These names are not common in the Netherlands, and the child is sometimes teased by others because of these names. He feels embarrassed by the names. Not all of the names are unwanted, so the child only wants to get rid of the names that refer to his father.

Usually, a request for a name change is handled in writing. In this case, the court exceptionally orders an oral hearing because they have questions about the request. During the oral hearing, a representative from the Child Protection Board is also present. The reason for scheduling a hearing is to investigate whether it is in the child’s best interest to remove all of the names. A name is an important part of identity, and because the child knows nothing about his father, it is somewhat important that he knows his origins and has a kind of ‘memento’ of his father. The Child Protection Board agrees with this view.

The applicant is given the opportunity to discuss the request with her son again and to consider whether the request needs to be modified. After discussions, the request for a name change is modified in a few aspects. The court grants the modified request.