Judgment of the North Holland District Court dated December 23, 2020

The petitioner is of Israeli origin and was born and raised in the Netherlands. Due to an inadvertent error by her parents during the birth registration, the petitioner’s name was misspelled. As it was a clear typographical mistake, the Public Prosecutor (who can also be involved in civil matters) requested through the court at that time to correct the name, and it was duly corrected.

Nevertheless, throughout her life, the petitioner has faced significant challenges due to her first name. She endured bullying in her youth because of her name. The current inconvenience she experiences is mainly manifested in the fact that third parties almost always mispronounce or misspell her first name. The first name is essentially a non-existent name, as the correct spelling of the name is different (for example, Annefleur instead of Anne-Fleur). Despite the earlier correction by the court, the name is still incorrect. In her daily life, the petitioner already uses the adjusted name with the correct spelling where possible. Her family, friends, and acquaintances know her by this name. Whenever possible, she tries to use the name in her daily interactions. Using her official name makes her feel like a different person because she is so accustomed to the adjusted name.

Additionally, it is challenging for the petitioner to use the adapted first name in daily life while her official first name is different, as this often leads to further explanations and discussions. Lastly, the petitioner experiences inconvenience because her first name is effectively treated as two separate names on paper due to the presence of a hyphen. The name often appears as two separate names on documents, although it should be considered one name. The inconvenience experienced by the petitioner has an impact on her daily life. Therefore, she wishes to have this inconvenience alleviated now and in the future.

The court finds it sufficiently plausible that the petitioner has a legitimate interest in the requested name change. In line with the application, the court grants the request for a change of first name.