Judgment of the District Court of The Hague dated September 14, 2020
The petitioners have a son who is a few months old. During the period surrounding the birth of their son, the petitioners experienced a turbulent time. There was a lot of chaos around the birth, and the petitioners were caught off guard, in the sense that they only learned about the pregnancy relatively late.
Afterward, a period of uncertainty followed for the petitioners. They registered their son with the municipality within three days of his birth, but they soon began to feel that they hadn’t thought this first name through properly. The chaos surrounding the pregnancy had been overwhelming, and they couldn’t give the name choice proper consideration.
After the birth registration, they quickly regretted their initial name choice. The current first name of their son is Benjamin, * with the second and third names being a tribute to the petitioner.
The petitioners have since been able to think carefully about the name choice for the minor, and they have decided to name him Laurens*. This name also means ‘blessed,’ and it holds spiritual significance for the petitioners. They attach great value to this name and regret their previous choice. The chaotic period around the birth registration prevented them from making a well-considered name choice. They would like to retain the second and third names but would like to use the name they feel comfortable with from now on, which they believe is important for their son as well.
Given the motivation of the petitioners, the court finds that they have demonstrated a sufficiently substantial interest in the request. The court grants the application. After the appeal period, their son will bear the new first name, Laurens.
- Real first names are fictitious.
