Decision of the North Holland District Court dated September 23, 2020

Applicant experiences a lot of inconvenience in daily life due to his official first names. This is because he has been given a certain nickname almost from birth, and as a result, he has hardly used his official first names. Applicant finds it burdensome that he is occasionally confronted with his official first names; it seems like someone else, as family, friends, and acquaintances know him by his nickname, and he uses this nickname as much as possible. Only in situations where applicant needs to identify himself with his official first names does he use the name as stated in his passport.

Another reason is that the official first names of the applicant cause emotional stress, in the sense that he was bullied with these names in the past. Finally, it is important for the applicant to distance himself from the first names because they were given to him by his father. However, the applicant has no connection with him, and it often causes a stress reaction when he is confronted with his official first names.

Applicant provides supporting documents showing that he uses the self-chosen nickname in daily life; he uses the name both professionally and privately. The name appears in his email address, LinkedIn, social media, and subscriptions. Given the motivation of the applicant and these supporting documents, the court grants the request.