Zahara Jolie-Pitt Legally Drops Father Brad Pitt's Last Name

Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt, 21, has legally dropped her father Brad Pitt's last name in a Los Angeles Superior Court filing. The change was finalized by Judge Virginia Keeny, according to court documents reviewed this week.

The minute order in the case stated, "After review of the case file, the court rules as follows: There being no objections, the petition for change of name is granted. The Decree is signed and filed. The Petitioner's name is changed from Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt to Zahara Marley Jolie."

Zahara is the third of the couple's six children to legally remove Pitt's surname. Her siblings Shiloh and Maddox previously made similar legal changes. Shiloh dropped the surname in 2024, and Maddox completed the process earlier this month.

A source close to Pitt described the situation to The Daily Mail as "upsetting" and "the latest example of the incredibly effective campaign of alienation against the father." The source added, "it's sad and no one wins in this situation."

However, an insider linked to the Jolie camp stated that the hearing was "required by law and scheduled months ago by the L.A. court system." This insider characterized claims of a conspiracy theory against Pitt as a "new low" and criticized the attack on his own child, noting that "his daughter has had the grace not to discuss the details of his behavior in public."

Pitt and Jolie, who were together for over a decade and married in 2014, split in September 2016. Their divorce was finalized in December 2024. They share six children: Maddox, 25; Zahara, 21; Shiloh, 20; Pax, 22; Knox, 18; and Vivienne, 18.

Zahara and Maddox had published statements in the Los Angeles Daily Journal in June and July, respectively, indicating their intent to remove Pitt from their surnames. These public notices allowed time for any objections to be filed.

Zahara had already begun using only her mother's and maternal grandmother's surnames. She went by Zahara Marley Jolie at her graduation from Spelman College in Atlanta in May and during her induction into the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority in November 2023.

Maddox ceased using his surname in May, and Shiloh took similar action in May 2024, shortly after turning 18. Vivienne also posted newspaper statements dropping Pitt's surname, with a hearing scheduled for November 2. She has been referred to as Vivienne Jolie. Knox did not use the surname Pitt during his graduation from Fusion Academy in Los Angeles in June.

Pitt's high-profile relationship with Jolie began during the filming of "Mr. & Mrs. Smith." Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, and both actors were declared legally single three years later. Pitt has been linked romantically to jewelry designer Ines de Ramon since 2022.