Ruling of the Gelderland District Court dated February 22, 2021

The petitioner is originally from China and experiences daily inconvenience due to his first name. In the Netherlands, his first name is often mispronounced, primarily because of the specific sound and pronunciation of the name in China. The name contains a “g” sound when translated, but in China, that sound is not pronounced, resulting in a very different pronunciation in the Netherlands. This bothers the petitioner considerably. Various alternative pronunciations have been attempted, but none come close to the correct pronunciation.

Upon arriving in the Netherlands, the petitioner decided to use a different name that would be easier for people to address him. He adopted the name of a family member for this purpose. Now, he wishes to change his first name to another name because he no longer has significant contact with that family member, and the contact ended on negative terms. Even though he has frequently used the name in daily life, he finds that it now evokes unpleasant associations. He wants to move away from it.

The petitioner has carefully considered the name he would like to adopt and has chosen a short, easy-to-pronounce first name. He intends to continue using his official first name in China, as that is how family members know him, and they pronounce the name correctly there. Therefore, the petitioner wants to change his official first name and his given name.

The court grants the request. After the completion of the three-month period for potential appeals, the petitioner will be able to use his new first name. There was no need to schedule an oral hearing, and the entire procedure was conducted in writing from start to finish.