Why Angelina Jolie Supports Her Children's Decision to Remove Brad Pitt's Surname

Angelina Jolie is reportedly focused on helping her family move forward as another of her children chooses to drop Brad Pitt's surname. Her youngest daughter, Vivienne, has become the latest sibling to seek a legal name change, reflecting the ongoing family rift that followed Jolie and Pitt's highly publicized split.

A source close to the actress said Jolie is not angry or interested in continuing old conflicts. Instead, she wants her children to heal and believes they have handled the situation with maturity by keeping personal family matters private rather than speaking publicly about them.

Representatives for both Jolie and Pitt declined to comment on the latest development.

According to court records, 18-year-old Vivienne filed paperwork in Los Angeles Superior Court on July 20 to change her legal name from Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt to Vivienne Marcheline Jolie. Her middle name honors Jolie's late mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who died in 2007 after battling ovarian and breast cancer.

Vivienne's filing comes nearly two years after Jolie and Pitt finalized their divorce in December 2024, ending more than eight years of legal proceedings that began when Jolie filed for divorce in 2016. The former couple share six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Knox and Vivienne.

Several of the siblings have already made similar decisions. Shiloh legally removed Pitt from her surname after turning 18 in 2024, while Maddox and Zahara have also sought to use the Jolie surname. Maddox has already been professionally credited as "Maddox Jolie" on the film Couture, and Zahara has publicly introduced herself without Pitt's last name.

Although Knox has not announced a legal name change, he reportedly used "Knox Jolie" on his high school diploma after graduating from Fusion Academy in Los Angeles. Vivienne had also dropped Pitt's surname publicly before filing her petition, appearing as "Vivienne Jolie" in the Playbill for the Broadway production The Outsiders, which she helped her mother produce.

Despite the strained relationship between Brad Pitt and several of his children, family ties remain complicated. Reports indicate that Pax still maintains a relationship with Pitt's extended family and recently attended a family celebration for his cousin's engagement. However, sources say his relationship with his father remains distant, highlighting the lasting impact of the family's long-running separation.