Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s daughter, Zahara, has officially filed paperwork in Los Angeles Superior Court to legally drop “Pitt” from her last name, requesting that her full name be changed to Zahara Marley Jolie. She follows in the footsteps of several siblings who have made similar moves in the wake of the couple’s highly publicized split and divorce.
Twenty-one-year-old Zahara had already been publicly going by just “Jolie,” introducing herself as such when joining her sorority and being announced without “Pitt” during her Alpha Kappa Alpha induction ceremony at Spelman College in Atlanta. She also chose not to use her father’s last name at her graduation in May, where she received a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. According to documents obtained by Page Six, Zahara has formally requested her name be changed to Zahara Jolie instead of Zahara Jolie-Pitt. A court hearing is scheduled for September 28, when a judge will rule on her petition.
Recall that Zahara’s 24-year-old brother, Maddox, filed legal documents to remove his father’s last name just weeks before her own filing. Their 20-year-old sister, Shiloh, was among the first to legally petition for a name change, dropping “Pitt” on her 18th birthday. Meanwhile, 17-year-old Vivienne has also distanced herself from her father’s surname in her professional life, choosing to be credited simply as Vivienne Jolie for her work on the Broadway musical The Outsiders, though her legal status remains unclear.
Legal representatives for Brad Pitt have expressed sadness over what they describe as the perceived alienation of his children. Meanwhile, no legal name changes have been publicly reported for siblings Pax and Knox at this time.
The major drama between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt began in September 2016, when Jolie filed for divorce immediately after a volatile, allegedly abusive incident aboard a private jet. This incident ignited a bitter, years-long legal and custody battle between the two. However, public intrigue and controversy surrounding their relationship actually started much earlier, in 2004, when they fell in love on the set of Mr. & Mrs. Smith while Pitt was still married to Jennifer Aniston—a scandal that dominated tabloid headlines. After more than eight years of contentious litigation and custody disputes, Pitt and Jolie ultimately reached a written settlement agreement, officially ending their divorce in December 2024.
Even though the core divorce was finalized at the end of 2024, legal disputes between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt remain ongoing. The former couple is currently embroiled in a separate, multi-million dollar lawsuit over the sale of Jolie’s stakes in their French winery, Château Miraval, located in Correns, France.
Angelina Jolie currently maintains primary physical custody of the remaining minor children, Vivienne and Knox, while Brad Pitt has limited visitation rights. However, the decade-long custody battle between the two is now largely moot, as four of their six children are already legal adults and the youngest twins are nearing adulthood. Under California law, family court custody jurisdiction automatically ends when a child turns 18, meaning the prolonged legal struggle is effectively coming to a close.
