Maddox Jolie officially drops Brad Pitt surname after judge approves name change

Maddox Jolie has officially removed Brad Pitt's surname from his legal name after a Los Angeles County judge approved his request on September 14, 2026. He will now be known as Maddox Jolie.

According to TMZ, a hearing was held Monday on Maddox's petition, which he originally filed earlier this year. No objections were made to the request, allowing the judge to approve the change. People also reported that the court granted the name change on September 14.

Maddox, 25, is the eldest child of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. He had already been using the surname Jolie professionally, including in the credits for his mother's upcoming film Couture. Earlier this year, he was reported as an assistant director on the project under the name Maddox Jolie.

The legal decision follows a series of similar name changes and petitions involving the former couple's children. Their daughter Shiloh legally changed her name to Shiloh Jolie in 2024 after turning 18. Maddox's sisters Zahara and Vivienne have also taken legal steps to remove Pitt from their surnames.

Zahara filed a petition seeking to become Zahara Marley Jolie, while Vivienne filed paperwork seeking to become Vivienne Marcheline Jolie. Both cases have involved the legal notice process required before a court can make a final decision.

Maddox's name change comes nearly 10 years after Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt in September 2016. Their divorce was finalised in December 2024 after a lengthy legal dispute. People reported that the September 14 court decision also fell on the 10 year anniversary of the private plane incident that preceded Jolie's divorce filing.

The latest decision concerns Maddox's legal surname and does not itself establish the details of his personal relationship with either parent. With the court now approving his request, however, Maddox Jolie is officially the name attached to his legal identity.