Two more of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s adult children have recently taken steps to remove “Pitt” from their names for good. Zahara, 21, has asked a California court to legally become Zahara Marley Jolie, while Maddox, 25, just received court approval to become simply Maddox Jolie.
Naturally, this got people wondering: can they really just do that? Some may even be asking, “Why would anyone want to lose the last name of an extremely famous, wealthy, Oscar-winning father?” To which we say: perhaps read between the lines.
As family law attorneys who know a thing or two about what happens when family relationships and legal names collide, we’re tackling the burning question: when your parents divorce, can you legally fire one of them from your last name too?
The short answer is yes, but the processes involved depend on whether the kid in question is 21 or 11.
Can adult children just change their name whenever they want?
Pretty much. Once someone turns 18, they don't need a parent's permission, a divorce decree, or a dramatic backstory to petition for a legal name change. They file paperwork with the court, pay a fee, and, barring fraud or an attempt to dodge debts or a criminal record, a judge typically signs off. This is essentially the route Zahara and Maddox took, and it has nothing to do with their parents' divorce settlement from years earlier.
So what happens if the kid's still a minor?
In Washington, you generally cannot change a minor's last name inside the divorce case itself, unless the case involves documented domestic violence and the court agrees to combine the requests.
According to the Washington Law Help name change guide, changing a child's name usually requires a separate petition, and:
- Both parents typically need to sign off, or the non-consenting parent has to be formally notified and given a chance to object (surprise paperwork, everyone's favorite)
- Kids between 14 and 17 usually have to show up and make their case in person — no phoning it in
- A judge will only approve it if it's genuinely in the child's best interest, not just because Mom or Dad would prefer a clean break on paper
Wait, doesn't the divorce just handle the name change automatically?
No, and this constantly trips people up. Washington's divorce paperwork lets you request a name change for yourself as part of the dissolution case. Still, a child's surname doesn't move unless a court specifically orders it in a separate name-change proceeding. If your final decree is silent on it, your kid's legal name stays exactly as it appears on their birth certificate, no matter what everyone calls them at soccer practice.
What if the other parent says absolutely not?
This is usually where a simple request turns into a real legal fight. If one parent won't consent, the court doesn't just take the requesting parent's word for it and call it a day. Judges weigh things such as how long the child has gone by a particular name, their relationship with each parent, and whether the change would cause real confusion, not whether one parent is still bitter about the marriage. Contested name changes for minors can drag on for months, and while Washington law technically lets you file the petition yourself, this is usually not the moment to go it alone.
Which brings us back to Zahara and Maddox. Because they're adults, their filings are mostly a formality — post a notice, wait out the objection period, show up if a judge asks. If they'd tried this at 15 instead of 21 and 24, and Brad Pitt had pushed back, it could've turned into exactly the kind of drawn-out courtroom fight described above, with a judge, not a headline writer, deciding whether "Pitt" stays or goes.
Celebrity name drama is entertaining precisely because most of us will never deal with a courtroom over a surname. But the underlying legal mechanics apply just as much in Renton or Kent as they do in Los Angeles. If you're navigating a divorce or parenting plan in Western Washington and a name change, for you or your child, is part of the picture, it's worth getting it right the first time instead of filing a second petition later.
Do you have questions on divorce, custody, and parenting plans? Reach out to family law attorneys LaGrandeur & Williams. If a name change is part of your situation, contact us for a case evaluation before you file anything.