Ruling of the Northern Netherlands District Court dated March 18, 2020

Petitioner has experienced a very challenging childhood, including the loss of her father when she was 7 years old. Her mother played almost no significant role in her life.

As petitioner grew older, she experienced some significant events in her life. She had a relationship with a therapist at one point, which, for self-explanatory reasons, should not be considered acceptable. Petitioner suffered greatly under this relationship in hindsight.

Additionally, petitioner’s mother passed away a few years ago, marking another impactful period in her life. She had lost both her parents by then. The family home had been transferred to third parties, and petitioner fell into a deep emotional hole after her mother’s death. All these previous events led her to seek treatment from a psychologist.

Petitioner moved a few years ago, and since then, she has felt happier and wishes to make a fresh start in her life. However, she is constantly reminded of her past through her given names. Therefore, through this request, she seeks closure for her past so that she can begin anew.

Petitioner has chosen a specific name that holds great importance for her. She believes she has a sufficiently weighty reason for this request and that the societal interest in consistent use of given names should be set aside in this case. To further support this argument and the aforementioned facts and circumstances, petitioner has provided additional motivation.

Given petitioner’s explanation and the hindrance she has experienced in the past due to her given names, the court finds that she has a sufficiently weighty reason for the request to change her given names. The request is granted.