Zahara Jolie-Pitt Legally Drops Father Brad Pitt's Surname
Zahara is the third of six children to remove Pitt from her last name following legal filings by siblings Maddox and Shiloh.
Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt, 21, has legally dropped her father Brad Pitt's surname, according to court documents filed Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court. She now goes by Zahara Marley Jolie. This follows similar legal actions by her siblings Maddox, who completed his name change earlier this month, and Shiloh, who dropped the surname in 2024.
A minute order from the court 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 was signed and filed by Judge Virginia Keeny.
Zahara had previously gone by Zahara Marley Jolie when she graduated from Spelman College in Atlanta in May and when she was inducted into the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority in November 2023. Her sibling Vivienne is also in the process of dropping Pitt from her surname, with a hearing scheduled for November 2.
Sources close to Pitt expressed that the development is "upsetting" and indicative of an "incredibly effective campaign of alienation against the father." 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," and criticized the notion of a "conspiracy theory" being spun by Pitt's representatives.
Pitt and Jolie, who share six children—Maddox, Zahara, Shiloh, Pax, Knox, and Vivienne—split in September 2016. Their divorce was finalized in December 2024. Zahara and Maddox had previously published statements in the Los Angeles Daily Journal in June and July, respectively, indicating their intent to remove Pitt from their surnames, which provided a period for any objections.
Maddox reportedly ceased using his surname in May, and Shiloh took a similar action following her 18th birthday in May 2024. Knox also did not use the Pitt surname during his graduation from the Fusion Academy in Los Angeles in June.
Pitt's relationship with Jolie began while working on the film "Mr. & Mrs. Smith." Jolie filed for divorce in 2016, citing irreconcilable differences and alleging abuse. Pitt has denied these allegations, and the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services cleared him of physical abuse claims. The protracted divorce battle was finalized in 2024. Pitt has since been publicly linked with jewelry designer Ines de Ramon since 2022.