Judgment of the Amsterdam District Court dated December 2, 2020

The petitioner is originally Indonesian, and his parents were born and raised there, experiencing the Indonesian War of Independence. The petitioner’s father admired a particular independence fighter from that period and chose to name the petitioner after him. The petitioner has always regretted this.

The Indonesian War of Independence played a significant role in the family history of the petitioner. His father considered the mentioned independence fighter a hero and named the petitioner after him. During his father’s lifetime, the petitioner had a strained relationship with him, characterized by a militaristic upbringing that sometimes resulted in physical punishment. The petitioner, however, views the mentioned independence fighter as an antihero and cannot identify with being named after him. While the petitioner had the desire to adopt a different first name, he never broached the subject within the family due to its sensitivity. Despite this, he has always harbored the wish to have a different first name, which he never communicated to his parents.

Later in life, the petitioner got to know a grandfather who had lived in Indonesia for a long time. This grandfather played a fatherly role in the petitioner’s life, and they developed a strong bond. To honor him and distance himself from the negative relationship with his father, the petitioner wishes to name himself after his grandfather. The petitioner feels content with this decision. He has no connection to his current first name and does not identify with it. By submitting this request, the petitioner seeks to distance himself from his past and the relationship with his father.

The court rules that the petitioner has demonstrated a sufficiently weighty reason for the request. They grant the application for a change of first name.