Zahara & Maddox Jolie officially ditch ‘Pitt’ surname with newspaper notices
- Nishadil
- July 14, 2026
- 0 Comments
- 2 minutes read
- 6 Views
- Save
- Follow Topic
Angelina Jolie’s kids publish ads to formally change their last name
Zahara and Maddox have taken a small‑scale, very public step to shed the ‘Pitt’ surname, filing legal notices in a newspaper to become Zahra Jolie and Maddox Jolie.
In a move that felt part‑movie, part‑real‑life paperwork, Zahara Jolie‑Posen and Maddox Jolie‑Penn have finally put the "Pitt" part of their names to rest. The siblings placed a brief legal notice in a major newspaper, announcing that from now on they will be known simply as Zahra Jolie and Maddox Jolie.
The ads, which appeared in the weekend edition of a California daily, are the last piece of a longer puzzle that began when their mother, Angelina Jolie, filed a petition to have the children’s surnames officially changed after her 2021 split with Brad Pitt. At the time, the court granted a provisional order allowing the change, but the paperwork had to be completed in the public record to make it binding.
It might sound like a simple formality, but for the kids – now teenagers – it’s a statement. "We’ve always felt like we’re Jolie, not Pitt," Zahra reportedly told a close friend, according to sources close to the family. Maddox, who is a few months younger, added, "It’s just our name, our identity. It’s not a drama, just the truth."
Legal experts note that publishing the notice isn’t just for show; it satisfies a statutory requirement in many states that name changes be announced publicly to give anyone an opportunity to contest the alteration. In this case, the likelihood of an objection was essentially zero, but the ritual remains part of the process.
Fans and media outlets have reacted with a mixture of curiosity and relief. Some see it as a quiet closure to a very public divorce, while others appreciate the kids finally having the name they feel matches who they are. Whatever the angle, the Jolie siblings have now taken one more step toward writing their own chapters, without the lingering echo of "Pitt" in the background.
Editorial note: Nishadil may use AI assistance for news drafting and formatting. Readers can report issues from this page, and material corrections are reviewed under our editorial standards.
