Maddox Jolie-Pitt petitions to drop Pitt surname

Maddox Jolie-Pitt, the eldest son of actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, has filed a legal request to change his name, removing his father’s surname. The 24-year-old is seeking to become Maddox Chivan Jolie, according to court documents that list the reason for the change as “personal.”

This formal step follows his earlier, informal use of only “Jolie” in the credits of his mother’s film, “Couture.” Maddox is not the first of Pitt’s children to make such a change. Last year, his sister Shiloh legally changed her name to Shiloh Jolie shortly after turning 18. Zahara has publicly used the name Zahara Marley Jolie at recent public events, and Vivienne appeared as Vivienne Jolie in a Broadway playbill. Knox and Pax continue to use the Jolie-Pitt surname publicly.

The name changes are the latest developments in a family situation that has remained in public view since Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt in 2016, citing the health of the family. The split followed an incident on a private jet flight earlier that year. Jolie later alleged in legal filings that Pitt had physically and verbally assaulted her and the children during that flight, claiming he struck the then-15-year-old...