Judgment of the Rotterdam District Court dated July 15, 2021

Petitioner experiences inconvenience from her official first names, An Julliet. The reason for this is because the names differ from her commonly used nickname, Ashna. Petitioner’s mother is of Dutch/Surinamese origin, and her father is Indian. Petitioner finds the first names An Julliet simply not beautiful and they do not fit her; she also feels significantly burdened when she has to identify herself in the presence of others because she does not want others to discover petitioner’s official first names.

Petitioner has been going by the nickname Ashna since her childhood, which makes her happy. However, from time to time, she is confronted with the fact that her nickname differs from her official first name. When that happens, she experiences feelings of shame towards others because it seems as if she is trying to hide her true identity. More than once, others have teased her and called her a liar for this reason. The name does not fit with petitioner’s partly Indian identity; for example, when she goes to India, she often receives unpleasant remarks.

Out of respect for her mother, petitioner has considered keeping the current official first names as her second and third names, but petitioner’s mother has indicated that she has no problem with petitioner removing her official first names; she understands petitioner’s wish and supports the request.

The court finds it sufficiently plausible that petitioner has a sufficiently significant interest in the request for a first name change. The application is granted. Thus, petitioner can use the nickname she has been using for years on her passport.

* The actual first names are fictitious.