Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s daughter Shiloh Jolie ― who formerly used the name Jolie-Pitt ― has been legally granted a name change, allowing her to leave behind her father’s last name.
On Monday, People magazine confirmed that Jolie’s name change had been finalized, almost three months after she turned 18 and filed to drop the Pitt surname.
Pitt has reportedly been estranged from Shiloh, and the five other children he shares with Angelina Jolie, for years now, amid a drawn-out divorce process that included allegations of domestic abuse.
In court filings detailed by The New York Times, Jolie accused Pitt of physically and verbally assaulting both her and the children during a 2016 flight from France to California. In 2022, Pitt’s lawyer Anne Kiley released a statement denying Jolie’s account.
The couple separated after the alleged 2016 incident, but were not declared legally single until 2019. A dispute over the former couple’s shared assets is ongoing, and the divorce has yet to be finalized.
Prior to being granted her name change, Shiloh Jolie faced some setbacks.
Her legal petition was delayed in July, after a judge postponed a hearing because of an incomplete background check.
JC Olivera via Getty Images
California law requires anyone seeking a name change to undergo a background check to make sure they do not have a criminal record that would preclude them from the process.
After that box was checked, Jolie was required to have an announcement declaring her intention to change her name published for one full month, in accordance with state statutes.
Upon fulfilling those steps, a judge was able to grant Jolie’s request.
Shiloh’s decision to drop her father’s surname follows similar moves by her sisters Zahara Jolie and Vivienne Jolie.
Both have publicly removed Pitt’s name from their own, but it’s unclear if they have taken legal steps to make that change.
In 2021, Us Weekly reported that Shiloh’s brother Maddox Jolie refuses to use his father’s last name, except in legal documents.
After Shiloh’s initial filing in May, a source close to Pitt told People he was “aware and upset” about her request.
“The reminders that he’s lost his children, is of course not easy for Brad,” the source said. “He loves his children and misses them. It’s very sad.”
Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) for the National Domestic Violence Hotline.
