A Hollywood daughter files to drop her father’s surname, joining siblings who did the same
Zahara Jolie-Pitt has filed a petition to legally drop her father Brad Pitt’s surname, according to court documents reviewed by PEOPLE magazine. The 21-year-old submitted the petition to the Superior Court of California on April 28, just days after her older brother Maddox, 24, filed his own request to remove Pitt’s last name.
The filing arrives nearly a decade after Jolie and Pitt separated in 2016, following two years of marriage and more than 10 years together. Their divorce was finalized in December 2024.
A source close to Pitt, 62, told PEOPLE the development has been painful to witness, describing it as a reflection of one parent successfully turning the children against the other.
Signs had been building
The legal filing did not come without warning. On May 17, Zahara walked across the stage at her college graduation to collect a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. While the commencement program listed her as Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt, her name was read aloud as Zahara Marley Jolie.
The year prior, during an Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. pledging event, she introduced herself in a video shared by Essence simply as Zahara Marley Jolie, identifying her hometown as Los Angeles, California.
A pattern across the family
Zahara is not alone in this decision. Her sister Shiloh, 20, was granted a legal name change in 2024 and now goes by Shiloh Jolie. Jolie, 51, and Pitt also share children Pax, 22, and twins Knox and Vivienne, 17.
Zahara on identity and her mother
At the AKA event, Zahara delivered a speech about mother-daughter bonds that offered a rare glimpse into her sense of self. Adopted from Ethiopia as a baby in 2005, she described the love she and Angelina share as something found rather than given, shaped by the unique circumstances of her adoption.
She spoke about being welcomed into a family that prioritized kindness, service and personal growth, and credited her mother as the role model who showed her what it means to be a decent human being. The bond, she explained, is one she finds difficult to put into words, not because it lacks meaning, but because of how singular and deeply felt it is.