Tom Cruise’s daughter Suri quietly drops his surname, like Brad Pitt’s kids

Here we are in the ongoing saga of that very particular club: Hollywood’s next generation giving the famous family name the boot. This time, it’s Suri Cruise — Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ daughter — who’s decided that Dad’s surname is surplus to requirements. She’s just the latest offspring of A-list royalty to do it, echoing the recent moves made by Brad Pitt’s kids as well.

Suri Cruise, now a theatre student, has officially changed her surname to Noelle.

The Name Change

To clear up the timeline: Suri was born in April 2006 to Cruise and Holmes, got to witness those monumental wedding pictures as a baby when her parents tied the knot in November that year, and then saw everything unravel in 2012 when the pair split. Fast forward to 2024 — Suri’s finished school at New York’s prestigious LaGuardia High, and those eagle-eyed graduation attendees noted her dad’s name was missing from the programme. Instead, she was billed as Suri Noelle. Voter records (yes, seriously) confirm that she’s made it official, swapping Cruise for Noelle — and not just on a whim, but for things that actually matter: her legal name, her college records, the works.

In an interview with Town & Country after Suri’s graduation, Katie Holmes said: "I’m proud of my daughter. Of course, I will miss the close proximity, but I’m really proud of her, and I’m happy. I remember being this age, this time of beginnings. It’s exciting to learn about yourself, and I loved that time, so it makes me happy to think about it like that."

So why drop one of the most bankable surnames in Hollywood? According to Page Six, who got their hands on the voter record as well, it’s a mix of things. There’s a bit of tribute to her mum, Katie Holmes, by going with Noelle (that’s Katie’s middle name). It’s also about a fresh start: avoiding the professional-paparazzi circus, laying claim to a bit of anonymity, and trying to cut a path for herself that’s got nothing to do with Top Gun, Risky Business, or Mission Impossible. In fact, she’s now living in Pittsburgh for uni — not New York, and definitely not LA.

The Next Act

Suri’s currently enrolled at Carnegie Mellon University — not exactly trade school for future celebrities — and she’s all about musical theatre. Apparently, her passion kicked off for real in secondary school when she played Morticia Addams in a production of 'The Addams Family: A New Musical.' So she’s set on doing the work, not riding any famous coat-tails.

• Suri Cruise was born April 2006 to Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes.
• The name change to Noelle showed up in voter records from October 2024.
• Her graduation from LaGuardia High in June 2024 listed her new surname publicly for the first time.
• She’s currently at Carnegie Mellon studying musical theatre, after growing up in NYC with her mum.
• The move puts her in step with Brad Pitt's kids, who have also dropped the famous surname.