The children of Hollywood stars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have taken significant legal steps to officially drop their father`s surname in California, BBC News confirmed. Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt, 21, and Maddox Chivan Jolie-Pitt, 24, filed formal legal documents in April to remove their father`s last name from their official records. To fulfill local statutory mandates, the siblings published their name-change intentions in a local newspaper for four consecutive weeks during June and July. This development follows their sister Shiloh, who successfully updated her legal name to exclude her father`s surname back in 2024 after turning 18.
The siblings are scheduled to appear before a family court judge in September to receive final judicial approval for their formal name updates. The high-profile legacy children have already begun utilizing the modified surname in public spaces, including graduation ceremonies and theatrical film credits. A source close to Brad Pitt stated that the actor remains deeply heartbroken regarding the unraveling of his family dynamics but deeply respects the independent decisions made by his children. Name historians point out that family names maintain an intense connection to individual identity, and changing them serves as a clear desire to completely disconnect from problematic relationships.
This emerging dynamic extends far beyond the confines of Hollywood celebrities as a growing number of ordinary young adults choose to drop their father`s surname due to parental estrangement. Hannah Leonard-Ripley, a 25-year-old resident of California, recently completed a legal name change to remove her biological father`s name following years of absolute communication silence. She opted to combine her mother`s maiden name with her husband`s surname, navigating a complex legal process that required a 400-dollar filing fee and an additional 130 dollars for mandatory newspaper notices. Similarly, a British citizen named Maggie waited until her 16th birthday to legally adopt her mother`s family name without requiring her estranged father`s formal legal consent.
Family counselors specializing in domestic estrangement explain that adults distanced from problematic relatives frequently utilize name changes as a vital psychological defense mechanism. This structural shift allows individuals to avoid repeating a surname associated with negative memories or a family structure they no longer identify with. Sociological experts reject modern criticisms claiming that younger generations cut ties with biological relatives impulsively without mature reflection. Comprehensive research illustrates that adults who choose to distance themselves from family members generally do so with an immense amount of care and steady consideration over prolonged periods.
What remains unclear is the exact global percentage increase of adult name changes driven by domestic estrangement over the past decade and its long-term impact on traditional kinship structures. In England and Wales, individuals wishing to execute a name change can pursue either an unenrolled deed poll or an official enrolled deed poll through the High Court for a standard fee of 53.05 pounds. Similar administrative frameworks exist across Scotland and Northern Ireland, though strict parental consent remains mandatory for all applicants under the age of 16. Once the legal transition is complete, citizens must systematically update multiple government entities, including passport offices, licensing agencies, financial institutions, and medical providers to validate their new social identity.
