Judgment of the District Court of The Hague on March 8, 2021

The petitioner experiences daily inconvenience due to her first name. The reason for this is that she is originally from Somalia, and her name was incorrectly transcribed from the Arabic alphabet upon her arrival in the Netherlands. The name bears a strong resemblance to a well-known character from a Pixar film.

Furthermore, in the past, the petitioner was subjected to bullying because of her name. In Somali, her name means “men.” Somali-speaking children frequently bullied the petitioner in the past. Once others discovered the meaning of her name, they too engaged in harassment. The petitioner was continually referred to as a man, not because she exhibited masculine traits, but solely due to the meaning of her name. She regularly heard derogatory remarks about her name. As a result, the petitioner has developed a strong aversion to her name and wishes to never be confronted with it again. She has not used her first name since the age of 18.

Additionally, her name is of Arabic origin. One of the sounds in the name does not exist in the Dutch alphabet, making it impossible for people in the Netherlands to pronounce it correctly. For several years, the petitioner has been using a different first name in her life. This name brings her happiness. She started using it with friends and family and subsequently decided to use it “officially,” in the sense that she presents herself with this name to the outside world as long as she does not necessarily need to use her official first name. The petitioner would like to formalize this preferred first name, especially because it is the closest in pronunciation to her Arabic first name.

To support her claim that she uses her preferred name in her daily life, she provides several pieces of evidence. She does not possess a birth certificate or a similar document. Given her refugee status, it is not reasonably expected that she can provide a birth certificate for registration. The petitioner requests that the necessary data for the issuance of a birth certificate be determined. In this regard, she provides several documents, including a hearing record from the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IND).

Based on advice given to the court, it is recommended to determine the petitioner’s birth data, particularly in consideration of the fact that official documents from Somalia are not accepted in the Netherlands. The court agrees with this advice and establishes the petitioner’s birth data. The court also grants the request for a change of first name.