Zahara Jolie is the latest of Brad Pitt's children to drop his surname
One more of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s children has legally dropped Pitt’s surname — with the switch even visible at a graduation ceremony Pitt didn’t attend.
Not to be dramatic, but the Jolie-Pitt household has turned family surnames into something of a revolving door—at least on the kids' side. The latest: Zahara Marley, eldest daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, has now officially gone the solo 'Jolie' route, leaving 'Pitt' behind, both on paper and in public appearances. If you feel like you've heard this song before... you're not wrong.
Zahara Marley formally became Zahara Marley Jolie in September 2025, dropping 'Pitt' in a court-approved name change.
Going Just 'Jolie'
It happened quietly enough. On 28 September 2025, Zahara attended a name change hearing at a Californian court and left with one less surname—now legally known as Zahara Marley Jolie. She'd already filed the paperwork back in June. Odds are, if you caught her graduation from Spelman College this year (Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, if you must know), you would have spotted the switch: she was introduced as Jolie on stage, with no trace of her Hollywood dad's moniker.
This isn't Zahara's siblings' first rodeo either. Maddox (the eldest) dropped 'Pitt' from his film credits—specifically on Couture, which was both produced by and starring his mother (talk about keeping things in the family). Then you've got Shiloh, who marked her 18th birthday in 2024 by filing her own name change paperwork.
- Zahara Marley Jolie: Name formally changed in September 2025, reflected at Spelman College graduation
- Maddox Jolie: Uses 'Jolie' in professional credits, no 'Pitt' on recent projects
- Shiloh Jolie: Applied to drop 'Pitt' just after turning 18 in 2024
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The Family Situation
Behind all this is, of course, the shadow of Jolie and Pitt's seemingly never-ending legal battle. According to a report from late 2025, the children have pretty clearly lined up behind their mother—enough that they've got a sort of rota going to make sure she's never left by herself at home. The source (not exactly going for subtlety) put it like this at the time:
'Zahara is leading the charge, she's very organized, but they are all equally invested. Their mum is still the centre of their worlds.'
The upshot: where Angelina Jolie is, you can bank on at least one of her brood not being far behind. And if you're wondering about Brad Pitt's attendance at Zahara's graduation—not a chance, reportedly stayed away.
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