Zahara Jolie-Pitt drops Brad Pitt surname with court approval

After years of a highly publicised family rift, another of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's children has taken a significant step: Zahara, the couple's adopted daughter, has received official court approval to remove the surname "Pitt" from her name.

According to court documents released this week, a California judge approved the 21-year-old's petition on Monday, 28 September, without objections. Her legal name is now Zahara Marley Jolie, replacing Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt.

Third child to remove "Pitt"

Zahara is not the first of the former couple's children to make this move. Her brother Maddox received official approval earlier this month to change his name from "Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt" to "Maddox Chivan Jolie". Shiloh, the couple's biological daughter, filed a petition to remove the surname "Pitt" on her 18th birthday in 2024 and received approval for the change.

Vivienne, Jolie and Pitt's younger daughter, also filed on her 18th birthday to change her name from "Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt" to "Vivienne Marcheline Jolie". The hearing on her petition is scheduled for 2 November.

Zahara and Angelina Jolie (Photo: Shutterstock)

She had already dropped the name publicly

For those following the family, Zahara's move did not come as a complete surprise. Even before the change gained legal force, she had already introduced herself publicly as "Zahara Marley Jolie". She did so when joining the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority in 2023, and again at her graduation ceremony from Spelman College this past May.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are parents to six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Vivienne and Knox. The two separated in 2016 after 12 years together and two years of marriage, with their divorce becoming official in December 2024.

Now, with the approval of Zahara's petition, three of their six children have officially removed their father's surname from their names, and if Vivienne's petition is approved in November, she will be the fourth.