Judgment of the District Court of Central Netherlands on May 6, 2021
The petitioner is of Dutch origin and came into contact with Hinduism in 2003. This led to him living in a Hindu monastery in India for six months from 2004 to 2006. Since then, he has been visiting this monastery every year for a few weeks. He is also a practicing Hindu.
He now wants to change his first name to Aahan* because when he converted to Hinduism, he adopted the new name Aahan, and he has been using this name on a daily basis ever since. He is known by this name among family, friends, and acquaintances. Whenever possible, he uses the name Aahan in his professional life, including at work, where he is addressed by his Hindu name. For example, he uses a professional email address that includes his Hindu first name.
The reason the petitioner chose to change his name to Aahan is because he has experienced much more positivity in his life since he embraced Hinduism. He has also undergone a significant personal transformation, and Hinduism is a part of his identity. For the petitioner, using the informal nickname Aahan in daily life alone is not sufficient, especially since he sometimes receives questions about his official first names. He believes he has a sufficiently weighty reason for this request to change his first name and that the legal provisions do not oppose the requested change, and finally, that the names are permissible.
The court believes that the request meets the legally established conditions and that the application is not unlawful or unfounded. They approve the request for changing the first name (in writing). There has been no oral hearing at a session.
- The real first name is fictional.
