Judgment of the Noord-Holland District Court dated April 15, 2020

The parents of a daughter, who has recently started attending secondary school, have requested a change in their daughter’s first names to male names through a name change request. The reason for this request is that their daughter was born as a girl, but has expressed that from a young age, they have felt that they do not belong to the female gender. A few years ago, their daughter underwent tests at the VUmc (VU University Medical Center), and the reports from those tests indicated that their daughter is transgender.

The child currently experiences strong hindrance in their daily life due to their female first names. Although they will be able to legally change their gender and first names through the municipality at the age of sixteen at no cost, they wish to change their first names now. They are already known by a different name among family, friends, and acquaintances.

Considering the child’s written motivation and the circumstances, the parents believe they have a sufficiently weighty interest in this request. They also believe that the societal interest in consistent use of first names in this case should be of limited significance, as the child would be able to change their first names through the extrajudicial procedure in three years. They requested the court to grant the request.

The court finds that the child has demonstrated that they are bothered by their first names. Therefore, the court grants the request (in writing).