Judgment of the Central Netherlands District Court on March 24, 2021

The petitioner has been using her third given name as her preferred name instead of her first name since she was 14 years old. There are several reasons for this.

Her first name triggers negative feelings for the petitioner because it closely resembles an English word. Although the name is not pronounced in the same way in the Netherlands, it is often mispronounced in an English manner here. The petitioner also has many negative memories associated with her first name; for instance, she experienced teasing and bullying during her primary school years due to her name. Additionally, her first name stands out when she visits English-speaking countries, and she has frequently had to endure negative reactions to her name. All of these factors led her to start using her third given name as her common name from the age of 14. In her daily life, her official first name significantly bothers her, especially when she has to deal with official matters and her English-sounding first name comes up. She wants to be rid of the name.

Furthermore, the request is important to her because her father chose her third given name, and he has been deeply involved in her life from a young age, with a strong bond between them. Therefore, the third given name holds special significance. The first name hinders her in this respect as well, as she is almost daily confronted with her first name, while she uses her third given name for the outside world. Despite explicit requests, her mother’s side of the family continues to address her by her first name, causing her daily anger and sadness. She also grapples with various questions, such as why her mother didn’t think more carefully about the first name, and why the thoughtlessness, etc. These thoughts lead to psychological stress, which also affects her academic performance.

Finally, the petitioner has many negative memories from her childhood, such as her name being mispronounced (by mistake) at school or attracting strange looks when visiting English-speaking countries. She also encounters difficulties when she has to fill out official documents using her official name. In such situations, she prefers to avoid using her official name due to the embarrassment it causes. She also faces challenges during exams when she has to use her official name, as well as when she goes to the doctor, and so on.

Given the petitioner’s motivation, the court grants the request (in writing). No oral hearing was held.