Maddox Jolie-Pitt, son of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, has officially dropped his father's surname. A Los Angeles judge granted the 25-year-old's petition on Monday to legally change his name from Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt to Maddox Chivan Jolie. The court order, dated September 14, stated, "There are no objections, the petition for change of name is granted." The decree has since been signed and filed, officially changing the petitioner's name.
Maddox appeared remotely for the hearing, accompanied by his attorney, Peter Kenneth Levine. The proceedings took place at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Los Angeles Superior Court, with Judge Virginia Keeny presiding.
This development follows reports from two months prior that Maddox and his sister Zahara had initiated legal name changes. Both had reportedly placed newspaper advertisements, a required step in California's legal name-change process, to announce their petitions to drop "Pitt" from their surnames. These advertisements provided an opportunity for any objecting parties to file their concerns before the court hearing.
Maddox initially filed his petition in May, citing "personal" reasons for the requested change. However, he had already begun using his mother's surname in professional contexts prior to the legal filing. He was credited as "Maddox Jolie" for his work as an assistant director on Jolie's film "Couture," released in France in February. Previously, he had used his full name, Maddox Jolie-Pitt, when serving as an executive producer on his mother's 2024 film "Maria."
Maddox is not the only one of Jolie and Pitt's six children to officially alter their surnames. In May, their daughter Shiloh successfully petitioned a Los Angeles court to legally remove "Pitt" from her last name upon turning 18. Zahara, 21, also filed a petition this year to change her name to Zahara Marley Jolie, with her hearing scheduled for September 28. She has already been publicly known as Zahara Marley Jolie, including during her graduation from Spelman College in May.
Other children have also publicly adopted their mother's surname. Vivienne was credited as "Vivienne Jolie" for her involvement in the Broadway production of "The Outsiders" in 2024. Additionally, Knox dropped "Pitt" from his high school diploma, using the name Knox Jolie on his certificate after graduating from Fusion Academy in Los Angeles. Knox turned 18 on July 12.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie finalized their divorce in December 2024, concluding over eight years of legal proceedings initiated when Jolie filed for dissolution of their marriage in September 2016.