You may be surprised to hear that Brad Pitt’s daughters aren’t the only celebrity children in history to forgo their parent’s surnames.
It’s understandable why some famous kids want to distance themselves from their successful mothers and fathers.
Some may not want to be legally associated with their caregivers while others want to carve out their own path to success without being called a child of nepotism.
Some of the latest young talent in Hollywood to change their surnames are 60-year-old Pitt’s children Shiloh, 18, Zahara, 19 and Vivienne, 16.
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The trio have notably followed in their 49-year-old mother Angelina Jolie’s footsteps.
Famously, the Maleficent star previously positioned the court to legally remove her surname, Voight.
But the Jolie family aren’t the only celebrities that are in favour of ditching their surnames.
Suri Cruise to Suri Noelle
Suri is the daughter of Mission Impossible actor Tom Cruise and his ex-wife, Katie Holmes.
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According to Page Six, the 18-year-old graduated from high school earlier this summer and opted to drop her father’s surname from her graduation pamphlet.
She was instead listed as ‘Suri Noelle’ - thought to be an ode to her mother’s middle name.
However, it remains unclear if the name change is a legal adjustment or a professional choice.
Jaden and Willow Smith to Jaden and Willow
Jaden, 26, and his younger sister Willow, 23, are the famous offspring of Men In Black actor Will Smith, 55, and his wife Jada Pinkett Smith, 52.
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The siblings are known mononymously, with Jaden previously stating on The Zane Lowe Show in 2020 that Willow began going by her forename along time before he did.
Malia Ann Obama to Malia Ann
Malia Ann, 26, is the eldest daughter of former President of the United States Barack Obama, 62, and ex-first Lady Michelle Obama, 60.
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In 2023, the former First Daughter directed an 18-minute film project called The Heart.
At the time of its promotion, she elected to drop her last name ‘Obama’ in favour of her middle name, Ann.
When The Heart debuted in a Short Film Programme at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, a ‘Meet the Artists’ spotlight video referred to her professionally as Malia Ann.
Nicolas Coppola to Nicolas Cage
You would be forgiven for not knowing Nicolas Cage is the 60-year-old star’s stage name.
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After his feature film debut in 1982’s Fast Times at Ridgemont High, the actor decided to change his name from ‘Nicolas Kim Coppola’ to ‘Nicolas Cage’.
This is because the Coppola family has a rich filmmaking history and Cage wanted to distance himself from his family members such as his uncle Francis Ford Coppola, 85 and cousin Sofia Coppola, 53.
Vivian Jenna Musk to Vivian Jenna Wilson
In 2022, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge granted 53-year-old Elon Musk’s daughter legal permission to change her name to Vivian Jenna Wilson, 20.
She dropped her famous father’s surname for her mother Justine Wilson, whom the Tesla CEO was married too between 2000 and 2008.
Explaining her decision in court documents, Vivian said she no longer wished ‘to be related to [her] biological father in any way, shape or form’.
Topics: Celebrity, Entertainment, TV And Film
Ella Scott