Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt has filed legal paperwork to remove "Pitt" from her surname, changing her legal name to Zahara Marley Jolie [1].
The move signals a deepening rift between the children of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt and their father as several siblings distance themselves from him.
Court documents indicate the filing took place on April 28 [1]. While some reports suggested the filing occurred as recently as June 4 [2], court records list the earlier April date. The 21-year-old [1] previously used the hyphenated name Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt [1].
Reports suggest the decision to drop the name stems from a belief that Pitt has no power over the children [3]. This action follows a similar legal move by her brother, Maddox, who is 24 [4].
Other children of the former couple have also been noted in recent reports regarding family dynamics. Shiloh is 20 [2], and Vivienne is 17 [2]. The legal transition to Zahara Marley Jolie [1] removes the paternal link from her official identification.
The filings occur amid years of public legal battles between Jolie and Pitt over the custody and welfare of their children. By filing for a name change, Zahara has exercised her legal right as an adult to define her own identity separate from her father.
“Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt has filed legal paperwork to remove "Pitt" from her surname.”
The legal name changes by multiple children of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie indicate a systemic breakdown of the paternal relationship. As the children reach the age of majority, they are using the legal system to formalize an emotional and social separation that has been brewing since the couple's high-profile split.
