Angelina Jolie’s daughter Zahara has officially dropped “Pitt” from her legal name, becoming the latest Jolie-Pitt sibling to distance herself from her father’s surname. A Los Angeles judge approved her name-change petition at a September 28 hearing, and Zahara is now legally known simply as Zahara Marley Jolie.
The move follows a pattern set by Zahara’s older siblings. Shiloh, Maddox, and Vivienne have all previously changed their names to drop Pitt, and Zahara’s decision has reignited the family’s long-running estrangement from Brad Pitt.
Zahara’s Graduation Announcement
Before graduating from Spelman College in Atlanta, Zahara first suggested the shift during her May 2026 ceremony. The official commencement program carried her full name, Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt, yet she walked across the stage simply as Zahara Marley Jolie. At the time, the detail drew attention, though the official paperwork stayed the same until now.
Zahara started the legal process by filing a petition in 2026, reportedly citing personal reasons. The court then made public notice of the proposed change, which gave those who wanted to object a chance to speak up. The notices appeared in the Los Angeles Daily Journal across several weeks.
The court papers show no objections came in against Zahara’s request, as reported by PEOPLE. At the September hearing, the judge granted the petition.
The Sibling Precedents
Shiloh paved the way for this family tradition before Zahara’s turn. She filed her own petition soon after reaching 18, back in May 2024. The request was granted that same year, which made her legally known as Shiloh Jolie.
A Los Angeles judge gave the green light to the change on September 14, after the 25-year-old filed his own request in May. That approval altered his legal name from Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt to simply Maddox Chivan Jolie.
She has filed a petition to change her name, suggesting Vivienne Marcheline Jolie instead, with her hearing set for November.
The Family History Behind the Change
In January 2005, Zahara was born in Ethiopia, and she was adopted by Angelina Jolie later that same year. Pitt then joined the adoption story, and in early 2006, a California judge gave legal approval for a name change for Zahara, changing her surname from Jolie to Jolie-Pitt as Pitt formally adopted her.
After Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt in 2016, the family’s situation changed dramatically. A private-plane incident involving the family became the subject of investigations and years of public discussion. Years of divorce, custody, and other legal disputes followed between the couple before they reached a settlement in 2024.
Comparisons to Angelina
The comparison drawn between Zahara and her mother centers on a legal name change. Decades ago, the Maleficent star followed the same course as her daughter is now pursuing. She dropped “Voight” from her own name, transforming it from Angelina Jolie Voight to Angelina Jolie after years of estrangement from her father, actor Jon Voight. That move came in 2002.
A person who posts online shared these thoughts: “Angelina did the same thing herself. Dropped her dad’s last name and kept her mother’s. Pattern much?”
Both women chose to legally separate themselves from their famous fathers’ surnames after deeply strained relationships, and many observers have noted the striking similarities between mother and daughter.
What This Means for Zahara
The name change has been made official, yet the growing distance between Zahara and her family has been building for more than ten years. She has not explained her reasons in public beyond what can be found in the court papers, and her siblings have not spoken about it either.
It is worth noting when Zahara made her move. She did so almost two years after Jolie and Pitt settled their divorce case, even as the pair continue to fight in court over their French vineyard, Château Miraval.
Three of Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt’s siblings have dropped the last name Pitt from their legal identities. The petition that made the change official was filed in 2026, and it was approved in September 28. Shiloh changed her name in 2024, while Maddox did so in September 2026. Vivienne’s hearing on the matter is set for November. Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt is now legally known as Zahara Marley Jolie.
There is a repeated sequence within the family, and the parallel with Angelina is impossible to ignore. Zahara’s turn follows the same course as the steps her brothers and sisters have already taken. What remains uncertain is whether this particular line ends with Vivienne or keeps going on beyond her.
Zahara’s name has been permanently changed. She is no longer bound by law to the surname Pitt bestowed upon her during his adoption of her infancy. The family’s long-standing ties to Brad Pitt — the dissolution of their marriage, the growing distance between them, and the contentious public disputes — are now recorded within her official identity.
Key Facts Box
- Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt now legally known as Zahara Marley Jolie
- Name-change petition filed in 2026, approved September 28
- Shiloh changed name in 2024, Maddox in September 2026, Vivienne’s hearing set for November
- Three of Zahara’s siblings have dropped the surname Pitt
- Jolie and Pitt settled divorce in 2024; still fighting over Château Miraval
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