Zahara Jolie-Pitt announces she will no longer use her father’s surname in a public advertisement.
Zahara Jolie-Pitt, the eldest daughter of Hollywood actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, is seeking to legally change her surname to reflect her mother’s side of the family. The 21-year-old recently graduated from college and has filed a petition to drop her estranged father’s name, opting to be known as Zahara Marley Jolie. This request is set to be reviewed in a court hearing scheduled for September 28, pending any objections.
To initiate this process, Zahara complied with California law by publishing a notice of her intent to change her name over four consecutive weeks in the Los Angeles Daily Journal. The publication period concluded on July 7, allowing anyone who may oppose the name change to submit their arguments in writing prior to the upcoming court date.
This decision follows a pattern among her siblings. Zahara’s younger sister, Shiloh, aged 20, recently filed to remove Pitt’s name from her own upon turning 18. This decision reflects a personal choice among the siblings to distance themselves from the Pitt surname; both Zahara and her older brother Maddox, adopted by Jolie in the early 2000s, have opted to informally drop Pitt from their names. Maddox, now 24, filed a formal request to change his name to Maddox Chivan Jolie in late May 2026.
The ongoing dynamics surrounding the Jolie-Pitt family name change can be traced back to a lengthy and contentious divorce between Jolie and Pitt, which concluded in late 2024 after eight years of legal disputes. The couple shares six children, including Pax, a 22-year-old adopted son, and fraternal twins Vivienne and Knox, who are now 17. Media insiders suggest that Jolie may be influencing her children’s decisions in relation to their last names, potentially straining the relationship between Pitt and his children.
As these young adults pursue their independent identities, their choices reflect a broader trend of personal and familial autonomy. The upcoming court ruling will further clarify Zahara’s legal name change, contributing to the evolving narrative of the Jolie-Pitt family.
