Judgment of the District Court of The Hague dated March 18, 2020

The petitioner is originally from China and was adopted. She experiences significant hindrance in her daily life due to her second and third given names, as they are Chinese names.

Since her early childhood, the petitioner has felt “Western.” Her adoptive parents chose to maintain some connection to her Chinese heritage through her names, but this choice increasingly bothers her. She cannot identify with her Asian origin at all. She repeatedly finds herself reminded of this through her second and third given names. She wishes to get rid of these names. The first given name is a typical Western name, so she has no problem with it.

The petitioner wishes to change her second and third given names to Dutch names, while keeping the initials exactly the same. Both names are references to members of her adoptive family. Considering the above and based on her explanation, the petitioner believes she has a sufficiently compelling reason for a name change request.

The court sees no reason to schedule an oral hearing. Based on the petitioner’s arguments, the court is convinced of the significant importance of granting the petitioner’s request to change her given name. The request is granted.