Judgment of The Hague District Court of August 10, 2020

The petitioners have a daughter who is several months old. Because they are of Chinese descent and it is customary within Chinese culture for a child to be given a Chinese first name, the petitioners gave her a Chinese second first name.

However, the petitioners soon regretted their choice of name. The days around the birth of the minor were very hectic for the petitioners, and they did not sufficiently consider that the chosen second first name evokes very bad memories of the past within the family. When the petitioners made the minor’s first names known within the family, it led to much resistance and sorrow.

To prevent the association with negative events from being evoked by the minor’s second first name, the petitioners want to erase the name. They regret the choice of name and are worried that the chosen first names will bring psychological consequences for the minor, whether now or at a later age. The name change is very important to them. They feel guilty towards the minor and deeply regret their original choice of name.

Given the petitioners’ motivation, the court grants the request. There has been no oral hearing.