Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's daughter Zahara has officially dropped her father's surname, but another member of the former couple's family is still awaiting a court decision over a similar request.
The 21-year-old is now legally known as Zahara Marley Jolie after a California judge approved her name-change petition on Monday, 28 September, without objections. Her younger sister Vivienne, 18, has also petitioned to remove Pitt from her legal name, with a hearing scheduled for 2 November.
Zahara's approval makes her the third of the former couple's six children to legally adopt Jolie as their sole surname, following siblings Shiloh and Maddox.
Zahara Legally Drops Pitt Surname
Zahara filed her petition in June, requesting that her legal name be changed from Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt to Zahara Marley Jolie. The application followed her earlier decision to identify herself publicly without her father's surname.
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During her induction into Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at Spelman College in November 2023, she introduced herself as Zahara Marley Jolie. She also used the name during her graduation from Spelman College in Atlanta in May 2026.
However, using a different surname publicly does not automatically change a person's legal identity. Zahara subsequently completed the formal process required under California law. Her petition was publicly advertised in the Los Angeles Daily Journal before receiving judicial approval on 28 September.
The ruling follows another family development earlier this month, when her older brother Maddox received approval to change his legal name from Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt to Maddox Chivan Jolie on 14 September. Their sister Shiloh had previously completed the process after filing her petition on her 18th birthday in 2024.
Vivienne Awaits Court Decision
While Zahara's petition has been approved, Vivienne's legal name change remains unresolved. The 18-year-old filed paperwork in Los Angeles County Superior Court requesting that her name be changed from Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt to Vivienne Marcheline Jolie.
Her petition lists the reason for the request as personal. Vivienne subsequently completed the newspaper-publication requirement, with notices appearing in the Los Angeles Daily Journal over four consecutive weeks between July and August. Her hearing is scheduled for 2 November, when the court is expected to consider the application.
Like Zahara, Vivienne had already stopped using Pitt professionally before seeking a legal change. She was credited as Vivienne Jolie in the Playbill for the Broadway production of The Outsiders, on which she worked alongside her mother.
The upcoming hearing does not guarantee approval, and Vivienne's petition remains separate from the applications submitted by her siblings.
Which Jolie-Pitt Children Have Changed Their Names?
Of Jolie and Pitt's six children, Shiloh, Maddox and Zahara have received legal approval to remove Pitt from their surnames. Vivienne has filed a petition but is awaiting a decision. The family's other children, Pax and Knox, have not been publicly confirmed as having completed equivalent legal name changes.
California's adult name-change procedure generally requires applicants to submit a petition, publish notice of the request and obtain a court decree. A hearing may be required depending on the circumstances.
The court filings do not establish the children's private motivations beyond the reasons stated in their individual applications. Jolie and Pitt separated in 2016 following two years of marriage, with their divorce settlement finalised in December 2024.
For now, Zahara's name change is complete, while Vivienne's November hearing represents the next scheduled development in the family's series of surname petitions.
