Reason why five of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's children changed their names but one hasn't
Knox, the joint youngest of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's six children, has become the latest to drop 'Pitt' from his official, legal title.
The 18-year-old's controversial decision follows in the footsteps of four of his siblings, all of whom previously made the same move, with just one child still using a hyphenated surname.
Jolie and Pitt first announced their plans to separate in 2016 after two years of marriage and 10 years together, citing 'irreconcilable differences', having famously met on the set of Mr & Mrs Smith in 2005
A legal battle ensued over custody of their six children, as well as a row over ownership of their joint assets, including their French wine estate.
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Details of an alleged incident, during which Pitt shoved his wife into a bathroom wall, choked one of his children, struck another in the face, and poured wine and beer over his family, were subsequently released.
All charges - which Pitt denied - were cleared following an FBI investigation, and the couple's divorce was finalised in 2024.
Knox:
Despite this, the Fight Club star's youngest son dropped his father's name from his title earlier this summer, just weeks ahead of his latest birthday.
According to Page Six, he first went by 'Knox Jolie' during his high school graduation weeks earlier.
It hasn't yet been confirmed whether the teen has filed the official paperwork.
Vivienne:
Around the same time Knox supposedly made the decision, his twin sister, Vivienne, also filed a petition to legally abandon 'Pitt'.
Court documents filed in the Los Angeles County Superior Court, obtained by PEOPLE, showed the youngster requested to alter her legal title from 'Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt ' to 'Vivienne Marcheline Jolie'.
Zahara:
Vivienne and Knox moves were made just months after their older sister, Zahara - Pitt and Jolie's third eldest, and their eldest daughter - filed a petition with the Superior Court of California to drop 'Pitt' from her official title, In Touch reported in April.
The Spelman graduate had previously hinted at considering the decision during public appearances, including at her college graduation, when she was referred to by organisers who handed her a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology as 'Zahara Marley Jolie'. This was despite the commencement programme listing her title as 'Zahara Marley Jolie-Pitt'.
She also dropped 'Pitt' while introducing herself in a 2024 video application for membership at Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc, as per Essence.
"My name is Zahara Marley Jolie. And [I] landed all the way from the Golden State in the city full of angels: Los Angeles, California," she said.
Maddox:
The 21-year-old's decision was said to have been inspired by her big brother Maddox Jolie, 24, who also ditched their father's surname.
In the credits of his mother's latest movie, Couture, Maddox's name was listed as Maddox Jolie.
He and Zahara also took out newspaper ads, a requirement of Californian law, to declare they were no longer Jolie-Pitts, but Jolies.
Shiloh:
Shiloh - Pitt and Jolie's fourth eldest, and their first biological child - was the first to ditch her Oscar-winning dad's surname.
Her lawyer, Peter Levine, previously confirmed in a statement that the 20-year-old launched legal proceedings to change her name from Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt to Shiloh Nouvel Jolie on her 18th birthday in May 2024.
"The media should be more careful in their reporting, especially when covering a young adult who has made an independent and significant decision following painful events, and is merely following legal process," he told PEOPLE at the time.
A source close to Pitt responded by telling the publication of Tomb Raider actress Angelina Jolie: "It's sad to see someone repeatedly publicise their successful alienation of their children from the other parent."
What about Pax?
Pax, the former couple's second-eldest child, is yet to leap changing his name.
The 22-year-old hasn't yet alluded to the decision in conversations with the press, prompting speculation regarding his relationship with Pitt.
In a scathing Instagram post shared on Father's Day, however, Pax reportedly described his father as a 'world-class a**hole', as per Cosmopolitan, implying relations between the two weren't as smooth-sailing as fans may have thought.
"You time and time and again prove yourself to be a terrible and despicable person," Pax continued. "You have no consideration or empathy toward your four youngest children, who tremble in fear when in your presence.
"You will never understand the damage you have done to my family because you’re incapable of doing so. You have made the lives of those closest to me a constant hell. You may tell yourself and the world whatever you want, but the truth will come to light someday.
"So Happy Father’s Day, you f - awful human being."
Topics: Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt, Celebrity, US News
Rhianna Benson