Judgment of the Northern Netherlands District Court of August 12, 2020
The petitioners have a son who is almost a year old. At the time, there was a lot of turmoil surrounding the birth. The petitioner suffered from a pregnancy complication and initially intended to name their son Milo*, but due to the chaos around the delivery, this intention was (unconsciously) pushed to the background. She was preoccupied with other matters.
After the birth of their son, the petitioner quickly developed a strong aversion to the first name. This manifested in poor sleep, little eating, and limited joy in life. The petitioner assumed that this aversion would diminish, but on the contrary, the negative emotions only increased. It went so far that the son’s first name was no longer used at home, and instead, terms of endearment such as ‘darling’ and ‘sweetie’ were used. The petitioner never felt a connection between the first name and her son. She also does not think the first name suits her son, and for her, it ‘just doesn’t feel right’.
Following complaints about their son’s first name, the petitioner visited a general practitioner, who referred her to a therapist. The petitioner has undergone various therapy sessions. It became clear that there was no postnatal depression, but the petitioner’s complaints were due to their son’s first name. In consultation, they decided to give their son a different nickname, which became Rob. This had a very positive effect on the petitioner and also on the co-petitioner. The minor is now addressed as much as possible by the petitioners as well as by others with the first name Rob.
The petitioners now wish to formalize the minor’s nickname so that, on one hand, they can ‘distance’ themselves from the official nickname Milo, and on the other hand, prevent any confusion about the first name now and in the future. They want to ensure that the minor does not have to keep explaining the difference between his official first name and his nickname. It also saves the petitioner a lot of stress because she then has ‘confirmation’ that she can definitively leave the old nickname behind.
Finally, the petitioners believe that the minor’s current first name casts a negative shadow, whereas they should be proud of his first name. They want to be able to enjoy as a family and pronounce his first name with pride, which is currently not the case. The minor’s new first name gives them a very good feeling, and they want nothing more than an official change. However, they wish the minor to keep his current first name as a middle name because he was born with this name, and they can accept the first name as a second name.
- The real first name has been fictionalized.
