Vivienne, the 18-year-old daughter of Hollywood stars Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, has received court approval to remove her father’s surname and officially use only her mother’s family name.
According to USA Today, a California court approved Vivienne’s request on November 2, allowing her to change her legal name from Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt to Vivienne Marcheline Jolie. The ruling followed an application she submitted in July, shortly after celebrating her 18th birthday.
Her older sister, Zahara, 21, previously received approval to change her name from Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt to Zahara Marley Jolie.
Other siblings have also made similar changes. Shiloh, another daughter of the former Hollywood couple, legally dropped Pitt from her name, while their eldest son, Maddox, has also stopped using the actor’s surname.
The couple, once among Hollywood’s most prominent power pairs, share six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, and twins Vivienne and Knox.
Vivienne’s decision has prompted sharply different reactions from people reportedly close to both sides of the family.
A source close to Brad Pitt criticised the latest name change, describing it as another indication of the growing distance between the actor and his children.
“This is another example of what it means to completely remove children from one parent. Anyone who has followed this situation for the last ten years knows that only one side has spoken publicly about the children and has tried to use them as a weapon,” the source said.
A separate source, however, strongly challenged that interpretation and argued that Vivienne’s court appearance should not be treated as evidence of a new family dispute.
According to the source, the hearing was a standard legal requirement and had been scheduled months in advance by a Los Angeles court.
“The hearing was legally required and had been scheduled for months by the Los Angeles court. It’s a new low for people close to him to create conspiracy theories, avoid responsibility for his behavior, and attack his own daughter,” the source explained.
Knox and Pax Have Taken Different Paths
Knox, Vivienne’s twin brother, has not reportedly started a formal legal process to change his name. However, reports suggest that he used only his mother’s surname, Jolie, on his high school diploma.
Meanwhile, their older brother Pax, 22, is reportedly still on relatively good terms with members of the Pitt family, although his contact with the actor himself is said to be limited.
