Vivienne Jolie Takes Legal Steps to Remove 'Pitt' from Her Name

On a quiet Tuesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, Vivienne Marcheline Jolie‑Pitt, now 18, slipped a petition across the clerk’s desk asking that the "Pitt" part of her last name be erased. If the judge signs off, she will be known simply as Vivienne Marcheline Jolie.

Vivienne’s request, filed under the banner of “personal reasons,” is the latest chapter in a family saga that has been unfolding ever since Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s divorce became headline news back in 2016. Their split, legally cemented in December 2024 after years of litigation, left six children navigating a very public separation.

The youngest child, Vivienne, is the second of the twins born to the star‑power duo. Her mother, Angelina Jolie, often named her after her own mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who passed away in 2007 after battling cancer. By dropping the Pitt surname, Vivienne is essentially honoring her maternal lineage.

She isn’t the first among the Jolie‑Pitt brood to make a similar move. In May 2024, her older sister Shiloh successfully petitioned a Los Angeles court to become Shiloh Jolie. Earlier this year, brother Maddox filed paperwork to shed the Pitt name, and sister Zahara followed suit in June, seeking to be known as Zahara Jolie. Even their twin brother Knox has been using "Knox Jolie" on his high‑school diploma, though he hasn’t yet filed a formal request.

Sources close to the family describe the wave of name changes as a symptom of the deep‑seated parental alienation that has taken root since the divorce. One insider, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "It’s a painful, deliberate effort to sideline one parent from the kids' public identities." Another source, with ties to Angelina, countered that the mother is trying to stay out of the drama, focusing instead on healing and keeping the children out of the spotlight.

Brad Pitt, 62, has not commented publicly on Vivienne’s filing. Angelina, 51, likewise remains largely silent, though a close confidante told Page Six that she “is not angry, she just wants everyone to heal.”

The siblings’ relationships with their father vary. Pax, the second‑oldest, still sees his paternal relatives now and then, joining family gatherings that include Pitt’s sister Julie and niece Reagan. Yet other sources say his connection with Brad has thinned considerably over the years.

Beyond the legal paperwork, Vivienne has already started using the shortened name in public. In May 2024, the playbill for the Broadway production of "The Outsiders," a show she helped produce with her mother, listed her as Vivienne Jolie.

The name‑change trend underscores how the Jolie‑Pitt children are carving out their own identities amid a media‑frenzied environment. Whether the courts grant Vivienne’s petition remains to be seen, but the filing itself speaks volumes about the personal toll of a high‑profile divorce.