Judgment of the Gelderland Court dated April 27, 2019

The applicant bears the official first name Marijke*, but she experiences this first name as burdensome. The reason for this is that she has never identified herself with this name.

From a young age, the applicant has gone through life with a first name given to her by her cousin when she was very young, namely Sanne. Since then, her official first name has fallen into disuse, but it still appears on official documents such as her identification card. The applicant first experienced positive feelings when using the name Sanne when she was only a few years old. After her cousin gave her this name, the applicant began using it for herself. As the years passed, there were events that caused the applicant to be confronted with her official name again. At times, her official first name resurfaced, and she found it very burdensome because she had no connection to that name.

Partly for this reason, the applicant wishes to change her official first name to Sanne, so that her long-standing nickname is brought into alignment with the official registration. Furthermore, this is important because the applicant experiences daily inconvenience from her official first name, for example when presenting official documents, as she is then confronted with the fact that her real name is not Marijke, but Sanne.

Based on the applicant’s motivation, the court grants the request (in writing).