Judgment of the Rotterdam District Court dated October 28, 2020

The applicant has been experiencing inconvenience related to his first name, Damian,* since his youth. One of the reasons is that it is often mispronounced (pronounced as “Daamian” instead of “Dee-mi-jen”). Although the applicant and his parents use the English pronunciation, the Dutch pronunciation is more common.

Additionally, during his youth, the applicant had many unpleasant experiences related to a character named Damian. As a result, he developed a strong aversion to his first name. At one point, he even refused to go to school due to the teasing and bullying related to his name. Not only did his classmates make this mistake, but teachers also frequently mispronounced his name. Even in his adult life, the mispronunciation of his name still occurs regularly. Despite efforts to correct others, especially at work where he is widely known as Damian with the incorrect pronunciation, it has become challenging to make corrections. The applicant believed that things would improve as he got older, but this has not been the case. He still faces daily jokes and mispronunciations of his first name. The continuous stress and discomfort prompted the applicant to permanently distance himself from his first name.

The court rules that the applicant has sufficiently substantiated the request and approves the petition for a name change.

• The real first name is fictional.