Vivienne Jolie-Pitt Legally Changes Name to Jolie
A Los Angeles judge granted the 18-year-old's petition to drop the Pitt surname from her legal name.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Divorce
A Los Angeles judge on Monday granted the petition of Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt, 18, to legally change her name to Vivienne Marcheline Jolie. The hearing took place at Los Angeles Superior Court's Stanley Mosk Courthouse before Judge Virginia Keeny.
Why it matters
Vivienne cited personal reasons in court documents for removing Pitt from her surname, and she had already been publicly using her mother's last name for more than two years. The change follows her siblings Zahara and Maddox, who also legally dropped the Pitt surname in September.
The petition was initially filed on July 20, eight days before Vivienne turned 18, and approved petitioners receive a decree in about one week from room 112 at the Stanley Mosk Courthouse. Her siblings Zahara, 21, and Maddox, 25, changed their surnames in September, and Shiloh, 20, has also dropped the Pitt name.
The players
Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt
The 18-year-old daughter of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt who had her name legally changed to Jolie.
Angelina Jolie
An Academy Award-winning actress and filmmaker, and the mother of Vivienne and her siblings.
Brad Pitt
An Academy Award-winning actor and producer, and the father of Vivienne and her siblings, involved in a long-running divorce settlement dispute with Jolie.
The details
Vivienne's attorney, Peter Kenneth Levine, appeared remotely at the hearing. Judge Keeny read aloud the names of petitioners whose requests were approved, and the decree is expected within about a week.
Timeline
May 2024: Vivienne was credited as Vivienne Jolie in a Broadway Outsiders Playbill.
July 20: Vivienne initially filed her name change petition.
September: Zahara and Maddox legally changed their surnames.
Monday: A Los Angeles judge granted Vivienne's petition.
Family Dynamics
The name changes unfold against the backdrop of the eight-year legal battle between Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt over their divorce settlement, including the French winery Château Miraval. The family's public disputes have now extended to how their children identify themselves legally.
Name changes in Los Angeles County require a court petition and a hearing, and approved petitioners receive a decree roughly one week after the ruling. Anyone considering a legal name change can expect a similar process of petition, hearing and decree.
The takeaway
A court-approved name change is a formal legal process, and in this case it reflected a young adult's personal decision to publicly align with the parent she had been using for years. Readers considering a similar change should expect a court hearing and a written decree.
Further reading
Explore more on Divorce and how family name changes can follow a high-profile split.
