Two of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s children, Zahara and Maddox, have taken formal legal steps in Los Angeles to remove their father’s surname, adding a new legal dimension to a family split that began after the couple’s separation in 2016. Information from documents cited by Page Six, petitions for Zahara, 21, and Maddox, 24, were published in the Los Angeles Daily Journal as part of California’s name-change process.
The notices listed Zahara’s petition on four consecutive Sundays: June 16, June 23, June 30 and July 7. Maddox’s appeared on June 10, June 17, June 24 and July 1. California name-change petitions generally proceed through the Superior Court, with notice published for four consecutive weeks to allow objections before a judge considers the request. Zahara’s hearing was scheduled for September 28. Later reports said a judge approved her request that day, with no objections filed, and that her legal name is Zahara Marley Jolie.
Public use of a name and a legal name change are separate steps. Court approval makes the change official, after which the decree can be used to update identity records. Both siblings had used “Jolie” publicly or professionally before the reported court proceedings. Zahara was introduced as Zahara Marley Jolie at her college graduation in May. Maddox has appeared professionally as Maddox Chivan Jolie, including in credits for Couture, directed by his mother. ANI reported that Maddox’s petition cited “personal” reasons; public name choices alone do not establish the private circumstances behind them.
Shiloh was the first of the siblings to pursue a legal surname change. She filed on May 27, 2024, her 18th birthday, to become Shiloh Nouvel Jolie, and the request was reportedly approved in August that year. Vivienne has also used “Jolie” publicly, including in connection with the 2024 Broadway production The Outsiders, on which she worked with Angelina Jolie. Public and professional use, but, is not itself a court-approved name change.
The former couple have six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox and Vivienne. Coverage of the surname changes has unfolded against the backdrop of their parents’ separation, but the filings and public credits do not independently explain the family’s private relationships. Subsequent coverage has also described Maddox’s case as a legal name change, while reports have not indicated that every child completed the same process.
In California, a name-change decree follows the court process and can be used to update records such as a driver’s license, passport, Social Security record and birth certificate. The publication period gives the public an chance to object. The judge then decides whether to grant the petition. For Zahara, the reported approval marks the legal outcome of a process that followed her earlier public use of Jolie.
