Maddox Jolie Officially Drops 'Pitt' Surname Following Court Approval

Maddox Chivan Jolie, the 25-year-old eldest son of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, has officially dropped his father's surname. A Los Angeles judge approved his petition for a name change during a hearing on Monday, September 14, at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. The court order confirms that his legal name is now Maddox Chivan Jolie, finalizing a process he initiated in May 2026.

Maddox had already begun using the name professionally prior to the court's ruling. He was credited as Maddox Jolie for his work as an assistant director on his mother's film, Couture, which was released in French cinemas earlier this year. The legal change follows a standard California procedure that requires petitioners to publish their intent in a local newspaper, a step Maddox completed in July. His attorney, Peter Kenneth Levine, represented him during the remote hearing, where no objections to the request were raised.

The legal move makes Maddox the latest of the former couple's six children to distance themselves from their father's surname. His younger sister, Shiloh, successfully petitioned to change her name to Shiloh Nouvel Jolie in 2024 after turning 18. Other siblings are currently navigating similar legal processes: Zahara, 21, has a hearing scheduled for September 28, while 18-year-old Vivienne is set for a hearing on November 2.

While the children have increasingly adopted the Jolie surname in public and professional settings, the legal filings have been handled as individual petitions. Among the six children, 22-year-old Pax is the only one who continues to use the hyphenated Jolie-Pitt surname. Knox, the twin brother of Vivienne, has used the name Knox Jolie on his high school graduation certificate, though he has not filed a formal legal petition for a name change at this time.

The legal changes follow the finalization of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's divorce settlement in December 2024, eight years after the initial filing in 2016. Sources close to Brad Pitt have attributed the children's distancing to the long-standing fallout from the couple's separation. Meanwhile, Angelina Jolie has recently indicated a shift in her own life, expressing plans to spend more time at her home in Cambodia and adopt a more nomadic lifestyle as she enters a new chapter.