Zahara, 21, and Maddox, 24, two of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's six children, have officially filed petitions to drop 'Pitt' from their surnames, according to court documents obtained by the Daily Mail. The notices were published in the Los Angeles Daily Journal in June and July 2026, respectively, as required by California law to allow public objection before a final hearing.
Legal Filings and Name Changes
The advertisements state that Zahara seeks to change her name from 'Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt' to 'Zahara Marley Jolie,' while Maddox wants to go by 'Maddox Chivan Jolie' instead of 'Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt.' Both were adopted by Angelina in Ethiopia (Zahara in 2005) and Cambodia (Maddox in 2002) and later legally adopted by Brad. The final hearings are scheduled for September 24 and September 14, respectively, allowing anyone with objections to formally oppose the changes.
Other Siblings' Actions
Zahara and Maddox are not the first of the Jolie-Pitt children to distance themselves from their father's surname. In 2024, on her 18th birthday, Shiloh, the couple's eldest biological daughter, legally petitioned to remove Pitt from her last name, a move that was later approved by a judge. According to Entertainment Tonight, she 'hired her own lawyer and paid for it herself.' Vivienne, one of the biological twins, has informally dropped Pitt, crediting herself as 'Vivienne Jolie' as a production assistant on Angelina's Broadway musical adaptation The Outsiders. Knox, the other twin, also appears to have informally dropped the surname, though no legal filing has been publicly confirmed. Pax, adopted in Vietnam in 2007, has not legally filed for a name change but has been the most vocal critic of his father, calling him a 'world-class a******' in a Father's Day post.
Background of Family Estrangement
The name changes stem from the highly publicized divorce of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt in 2016, following an alleged incident on a private plane. Angelina claimed that Brad was physically abusive towards her and their children, alleging he 'choked' one child and 'struck' another in the face. The FBI and Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services investigated, and a report noted Angelina had injuries to her back, neck, and hand. Brad denied the allegations, and no further criminal action was taken. The ongoing legal battles and personal estrangement have led the children to increasingly distance themselves from Brad Pitt's name and legacy.
