Judgment of the Rotterdam District Court dated June 10, 2020
Requester experiences daily inconvenience from her official first name. This is partly because she has experienced some significant events in her social life in the past, which ultimately led her to undergo treatment with a psychologist. During her teenage years, at one point, Requester was negatively confronted by other girls in her environment. In Requester’s perception, these incidents, with the knowledge she has now, were signs of jealousy, probably stemming from the fact that she often hung out with boys and preferred their company to that of her female peers.
Over the years, this jealousy, as perceived by Requester, led to extensive rumors and stories about her. These rumors eventually grew to such an extent that it significantly affected Requester’s daily well-being. She was often treated negatively at her then-school by others. For several years, this had a strong impact on Requester’s daily sense of happiness.
As the years went by, Requester moved to a new location. She enrolled in school there under the name Ella*. This had a positive impact on her sense of happiness. However, she was subsequently frequently asked by others why she introduced herself as Ella when her actual name is Sarah*. As a result, Requester frequently finds herself in a situation where others are suspicious of her.
Taken together, the aforementioned facts and circumstances have left Requester feeling “stuck” in her daily life regarding her first name. This is because she absolutely no longer wishes to use her official name, but she still encounters her official name in her daily life, especially when dealing with official matters. Thus, she cannot simply distance herself from her official name by going through life under the name Ella alone. Therefore, she wishes to formalize the long-standing nickname Ella through this request. It has become apparent that using her nickname alone in daily life is not enough to alleviate the inconvenience she experiences.
The court deems itself sufficiently informed about the request and grants it. There has been no oral hearing.
- Real first names have been fictionalized.
