Maddox Jolie-Pitt Files to Drop Pitt Surname and Go by Maddox Chivan Jolie

Maddox Jolie-Pitt, the eldest son of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, has taken a significant legal step to officially change his name to Maddox Chivan Jolie, removing his father’s surname. This news was first reported by TMZ, highlighting the details of his request.

At 24 years old, Maddox has filed documents for a formal name change, which, if approved, will mean his legal name will no longer include “Pitt.” This move reflects a shift in how he wishes to identify both publicly and professionally, although the request is still pending.

Maddox’s decision aligns with previous indications of his name change in professional settings. Recently, he served as an assistant director on his mother’s film Couture, where he was credited simply as Maddox Jolie. The film, featuring Angelina Jolie as a director facing a personal health crisis in France, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2025 and was released in French cinemas in early 2026.

This isn’t the first instance of Maddox being credited without his father’s surname. In his earlier work on the 2024 movie Maria, he was listed as Maddox Jolie-Pitt. The recent change suggests a gradual transition in his professional identity.

As the oldest of six children shared by Jolie and Pitt, Maddox has seen his siblings also make similar name changes in recent years. Shiloh has legally dropped “Pitt” from her surname, while Zahara has publicly introduced herself as Zahara Marley Jolie on various occasions, including at Spelman College. Vivienne has also been credited simply as Vivienne Jolie in her theater work related to her mother’s Broadway projects.

Since the couple’s separation in 2016, reports of strained relationships between Brad Pitt and some of his children have surfaced. Their divorce was finalized in 2024 after a lengthy legal process.

A source previously shared with PEOPLE that Pitt was aware of Shiloh’s name change and found it emotionally challenging. The source stated, “He’s aware and upset that Shiloh dropped his last name. The reminders that he’s lost his children is of course not easy for Brad. He loves his children and misses them.”

Jolie and Pitt first became linked in the mid-2000s and expanded their family through both adoption and biological means. Maddox, who was adopted by Jolie in 2002, was later adopted by Pitt after they began their relationship. In 2006, a court approved the children’s surname change to Jolie-Pitt following Pitt’s formal adoption of Maddox and Zahara.

Maddox’s current filing, as reported by TMZ and PEOPLE, marks the latest chapter in a family dynamic that has been closely followed since the couple’s split.

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