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Maddox and Zahara File to Legally Drop 'Pitt' Surname

Their filings complete California’s public-notice requirement and set court dates that could formally sever the legal tie to their father.

Overview

  • As of July 15, 2026, Maddox Jolie and Zahara Jolie have filed name-change petitions and published the required notices in the Los Angeles Daily Journal to remove the surname Pitt from their legal names.
  • Court hearings to decide the requests are scheduled for September 14, 2026, for Maddox and September 28, 2026, for Zahara, and the judge will finalize the changes if no objections are raised.
  • The moves follow an evolving pattern: Shiloh completed a legal change in August 2024, Vivienne and Knox have used Jolie publicly, and Pax remains the only child still publicly using JoliePitt.
  • Under California law adult name changes require a public notice run for consecutive weeks and a court hearing, a process the siblings have already advanced by completing the publication step.
  • Sources close to Brad Pitt say he will respect his children’s legal choices though he is emotionally affected, and observers say the filings deepen a decade‑long family estrangement that continues alongside unresolved civil disputes between the parents.