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Four of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s six children have taken steps to remove “Pitt” from their names.
After Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt in September 2016 citing “irreconcilable differences,” Maddox, Zahara, Shiloh and Vivienne have each distanced themselves — publicly or legally — from their famous father by changing their last names. (Jolie and Pitt also share sons Pax and Knox, who have not publicly revealed the same change.)
“[Brad] feels most hurt out of everything that happened with Angie that his children don’t want a public association with his last name,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2026. “It’s been very difficult.”
Pitt and Jolie ultimately finalized their divorce in December 2024, though the F1 actor still remains estranged from several of his children.
Scroll down to see which of Pitt and Jolie’s kids have changed their last names:
Shiloh Makes a Change on Her 18th Birthday
Pitt and Jolie’s daughter Shiloh filed a motion to change her last name on her 18th birthday in May 2024. In court documents obtained by Us, Shiloh requested to drop Pitt and simply go by Shiloh Jolie. Her petition was granted three months later without a hearing.
“[Shiloh] hired her own lawyer and paid for it herself,” a source told Us in June 2024.
A second insider added that Pitt was “devastated by this choice,” explaining, “To him, it was more than a change of name — it was a symbol of a deeper estrangement that has been brewing for years.”
Zahara Made Her Move Public During College
Zahara filed her own petition with the Superior Court of California to legally become Zahara Jolie in April 2026, which was processed that June.
Weeks earlier, she was called “Zahara Marley Jolie” during her Spelman College graduation. Zahara introduced herself the same way in 2023 when joining the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, chanting, “My name is Zahara Marley Jolie. Coming all the way from the Golden State in the city that is full of angels, Los Angeles, California. … I am this line’s No. 7.”
A source, meanwhile, dispelled the narrative that Pitt was wounded by Zahara’s decision.
“The children are now adults and make their own decisions,” the insider told Us. “It’s really horrible that [Pitt] has tried to paint himself as a victim. When will people start asking real questions about what happened to the kids?”
In September 2026, Us obtained court documents confirming that a Los Angeles judge officially signed off on Zahara’s request to change her name from “Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt to Zahara Marley Jolie.”
Judge Virginia Keeny wrote in her ruling, “There being no objections, the petition for change of name is granted. The Decree is signed and filed. The Petitioner’s name is changed from Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt to Zahara Marley Jolie.”
The hearing was held at the Los Angeles Superior Court’s Stanley Mosk Courthouse, though Zahara was represented virtually by her lawyer Peter Kenneth Levine. (Page Six was the first to report the news.)
Maddox Also Files to Drop ‘Pitt’
Maddox filed his own paperwork in May 2026 to legally become Maddox Chivan Jolie, using his middle name in place of Pitt, Us confirmed. (Jolie adopted Maddox before meeting Pitt, though the actor later became his legal father.)
Months earlier, Maddox was credited simply as “Maddox Jolie” in the end credits of Jolie’s film Couture, where he served as an assistant director.
Vivienne Drops ‘Pitt’ Professionally and More
Vivienne was credited as a production assistant on the Broadway show The Outsiders, which her mother produced, with the Playbill listing her name as Vivienne Jolie.
Under the couple’s custody agreement, Pitt retains visitation rights with Vivienne and Knox, who are still minors in 2026.
Us confirmed in July 2026 that Vivienne also filed to drop “Pitt” from her surname.
This story was compiled with the help of AI tools and edited by journalists.
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