Brad Pitt Family Rift Deepens as Zahara Becomes Third Child to Legally Drop His Surname

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's daughter Zahara has legally dropped her father's surname, becoming the third of the former Hollywood couple's six children to officially remove 'Pitt' from her name.

The 21-year-old is now legally known as Zahara Marley Jolie after a Los Angeles judge approved her petition on Monday, 28 September. The move follows similar legal name changes by her siblings Shiloh and Maddox and comes amid longstanding reports of strained relations between Pitt and several of his children.

Zahara Marley Jolie's Name Change Approved by Los Angeles Court

Court documents show Judge Virginia Keeny granted Zahara's request after no objections were filed.

'There being no objections, the petition for change of name is granted,' the court order stated.

The decree formally changed her name from Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt to Zahara Marley Jolie. Zahara had filed her petition earlier this year and subsequently published notice of her intended name change in the Los Angeles Daily Journal, part of the legal process.

Zahara had already been publicly using her mother's surname (Jolie) alone before the court made the change official.

She introduced herself as Zahara Marley Jolie during her induction into Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority at Spelman College in 2023. She again used that name when she graduated from the Atlanta college in May.

Zahara Becomes Third Child to Legally Drop 'Pitt'

Zahara is the third of Jolie and Pitt's children to legally remove their father's surname.

Shiloh filed a petition to change her name after turning 18 in May 2024, with the request granted later that year. Maddox, 25, became the second sibling to make the change official when a Los Angeles judge approved his petition on 14 September.

Their younger sister Vivienne, 18, has also filed a petition seeking to change her legal name to Vivienne Marcheline Jolie. Her court hearing is scheduled for 2 November.

The developments have drawn renewed attention to Pitt's relationships with his children following his highly publicised split from Jolie.

A source close to Pitt told the Daily Mail that Zahara's decision was 'upsetting' and alleged it reflected a 'campaign of alienation against the father'.

However, an insider linked to Jolie rejected that characterisation, telling Page Six that the hearing had been scheduled months earlier and accusing Pitt's camp of attacking his daughter. Pitt's spokesperson declined to comment directly on the name change.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's Family History

Brad Pitt, 62, and Angelina Jolie, 51, share six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh and twins Knox and Vivienne.

The pair became a couple after working together on Mr. & Mrs. Smith and married in France in August 2014. Jolie filed for divorce in September 2016, and their divorce was finalised in December 2024 after years of legal proceedings.

Their separation followed an incident aboard a private plane in 2016. Jolie subsequently made allegations about Pitt's behaviour during the flight, which he has denied. No criminal charges were brought against Pitt following investigations into the incident.

Zahara's court-approved name change now leaves three of the couple's children with legally confirmed changes removing 'Pitt', while Vivienne's petition remains pending.