Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt has filed a legal petition to remove "Pitt" from her surname and be known as Zahara Marley Jolie.
The move signals a deepening familial rift and follows a pattern of the former couple's children distancing themselves from their father. This legal action occurs as several of the siblings have taken similar steps to redefine their public and legal identities.
Zahara, 21 [1], filed the petition in Los Angeles Superior Court on June 4, 2026 [2]. The filing requests that the court formally recognize her name change to Zahara Marley Jolie, effectively stripping the surname of Brad Pitt from her legal identity.
This filing comes days after her brother, Maddox, took similar action to drop the Pitt name. The trend of name changes among the children has become a recurring theme in the aftermath of the protracted legal battles between Jolie and Pitt. Previously, her sister Shiloh filed to remove the name when she was 18 [3].
Legal representatives for the children have not issued public statements regarding the specific motivations behind the filings. However, the timing of these petitions suggests a coordinated effort by the adult children to align their identities with their mother. The Los Angeles Superior Court will now process the petition, which is a standard procedure for adults seeking a legal name change in California.
Zahara's decision follows her recent college graduation, marking a transition into adulthood and legal independence. The court filings emphasize a desire for a simplified legal name that removes the paternal link entirely.
“Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt has filed a legal petition to remove "Pitt" from her surname.”
The decision by Zahara and her siblings to legally drop Brad Pitt's surname reflects the long-term social and emotional fallout of the high-profile custody and financial disputes between their parents. By removing the paternal name, the adult children are exercising their legal autonomy to distance themselves from their father's public identity, further consolidating the family unit around Angelina Jolie.
