Judgment of the Gelderland District Court dated January 19, 2021

The petitioner experiences significant inconvenience in her daily life due to her official first name. The reason for this is that she was given a different, commonly used name at birth, which she also uses in everyday interactions. She encounters her official first name only in official matters or when she needs to identify herself. Friends, family, and acquaintances address her by her birth name. Being addressed by her official first name often causes great discomfort for her in daily life, such as when booking a vacation, collecting mail, or applying for a new driver’s license.

The petitioner feels like a different person when she sees her official first name because she has been using a different name since birth. The discomfort she experiences is so significant that she is unwilling to marry until her commonly used name is officially recorded (or until the official first name is changed). She also considers the first name very old-fashioned, as it is almost obsolete in the Netherlands. Additionally, she has unpleasant memories associated with the name.

The court rules that the petitioner has a sufficiently weighty interest in the request for a change of first name and grants the request.