Suri Cruise to Zahara Pitt, celebrity kids who dropped famous family names

Zahara Pitt is no longer a Jolie-Pitt, at least on paper. As per a report shared by Page Six, a Los Angeles judge granted the twenty-one-year-old's petition on Monday, and the daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt is now legally known as Zahara Marley Jolie. Judge Virginia Keeny handled the hearing at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse, while Zahara Pitt's attorney, Peter Kenneth Levine, joined remotely. Nobody objected, and the Sept. 28 minute order stated,

"There being no objections, the petition for change of name is granted."

That being said, the change wasn't a shock to those following her. Zahara Pitt introduced herself as Zahara Marley Jolie at her Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority induction in November 2023, and was introduced the same way while collecting her diploma from Spelman College in May. Notices ran in the Los Angeles Daily Journal on four dates between June 16 and July 7. Following the ruling, a source close to Pitt told Page Six,

"This is the latest installment in what complete and total alienation looks like with an extra topping of trying to deflect attention from their ex's success."

A second source close to Jolie responded,

"Today's hearing was required by law and scheduled months ago by the L.A. court system."

Angelina Jolie adopted Zahara Pitt from Ethiopia in 2005, while she was visiting the country with her eldest son, Maddox. Brad Pitt went with her on a second trip to make the adoption official. He then adopted both Zahara Pitt and Maddox himself the following year. Jolie has been open about raising her daughter to be proud of where she comes from. During a TIME 100 Talk in 2020, the Eternals actress called Zahara Pitt an "extraordinary African woman," and she went on to say,

"My daughter is from Ethiopia, one of my children … And I have learned so much from her."

Zahara Pitt isn't the only Jolie-Pitt child to distance themselves from their famous family name:

Vivienne, who is now eighteen years old, has reportedly begun the legal process of removing "Pitt" from her name. She had already gone by Vivienne Jolie in the Playbill when she worked with her mother on the Broadway production of The Outsiders. Knox, her twin brother, also left the surname off his high school diploma earlier this year.

Shiloh, twenty, went the legal route in May 2024, filing a petition the day she turned eighteen. She is now Shiloh Jolie. Maddox, twenty-five, made his change official earlier this month and cited personal reasons.

Zahara Pitt's parents' divorce took a long time to finish. Jolie, fifty-one, filed in September 2016, two years into the marriage, and Pitt is now sixty-two. They were legally single by 2019, but the settlement did not come until December 2024, after an eight-year legal battle.

Suri Cruise, like Zahara Pitt, has changed her last name:

Suri Cruise now goes by Suri Noelle. As per a report shared by People, voter registration records obtained by the outlet in July 2026 revealed that the twenty-year-old daughter of Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise has legally changed her last name to Noelle.

Suri attends Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She registered to vote in Allegheny County during her freshman year, back in October 2024, and the registration listed her as Suri Noelle. Noelle happens to be her mother's middle name. That being said, it wasn't the first time the name had appeared. When she graduated from high school in June 2024, the ceremony program had her down as "Suri Noelle" and not "Suri Cruise."

Why Tanner Elle Schneider became Elle King when she pursued music:

Elle King, the daughter of comedian Rob Schneider and model London King, was born Tanner Elle Schneider. She switched names when she decided to pursue music, as she wanted to carve out a path that belonged to her. As per a report shared by People, King opened up about the decision in February 2023 and said she never wanted to lean on anyone for money.

"I wanted to be my own person. I never wanted to borrow money from anybody, and I've worked hard for my family and for me," she shared.

"I want to have a life built for myself, and I want to know that I did it," she added.

Meryl Streep's daughter Mamie Gummer once went by Natalie Stern:

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Mamie Gummer, the actress and daughter of Meryl Streep, once went by Natalie Stern. She had no real say in it, as her mother made the call when Gummer was only twenty months old and appearing alongside Streep in the 1986 film Heartburn. The reason was to protect her identity. Once she got older, Gummer decided to go by her given name instead.

That being said, she isn't the only one of Streep's daughters who doesn't use her given surname. Louisa Jacobson, Streep's youngest daughter and also an actress, goes by a different last name too. Her reason is different, though, as it comes down to Screen Actors Guild restrictions and not any wish to distance herself from her famous family.

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