Vivienne Jolie-Pitt has moved one step closer to legally becoming Vivienne Jolie, completing a required part of California’s name change process.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s 18-year-old daughter completed the newspaper publication requirement tied to her petition, but the change is not official yet. A judge still has to review the request during a November hearing in Los Angeles County Superior Court.
The filing has drawn attention because the name Vivienne Jolie is not entirely new. Before the court process began, she had already used the name publicly in a professional setting. Her petition also comes amid similar moves by some of her siblings, making the family’s long-running public history part of the conversation.
For now, the legal name remains unchanged. The next major step will happen in court, where a judge will decide whether Vivienne’s request moves forward.
A Name She Was Already Using
Vivienne’s petition is the formal step, but the name Jolie had already appeared publicly before any courtroom decision.
In 2024, the Broadway Playbill for The Outsiders listed one of the show’s producers as “Vivienne Jolie.” The production was a collaboration with her mother, but the credit stood on its own as a public professional listing under her mother’s surname.
Her court petition, published on July 21 in Los Angeles Daily Journal, now seeks to make that name legally recognized. She is requesting a change from Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt to Vivienne Marcheline Jolie.
Her middle name would remain unchanged. Marcheline honors Jolie’s mother, Marcheline Bertrand, who died in 2007. The petition gives only one reason for the request: “personal.” The court record provides no additional details about her motivation.
What the Publication Step Actually Means
Completing the newspaper notice requirement moves the petition forward, but it does not mean the court has approved the name change.
California requires many people seeking a legal name change to publish notice of their request in an approved newspaper for four consecutive weeks. This allows anyone with a valid objection to become aware of the petition.
Vivienne’s notice reportedly appeared on July 24, July 31, Aug. 7, and Aug. 14, completing that requirement.
The next step is the hearing scheduled for Nov. 2 in Los Angeles County Superior Court. Anyone seeking to challenge the request must file a written objection explaining the reason and appear in court. Until a judge approves the petition, Vivienne remains legally known as Vivienne Marcheline Jolie-Pitt.
Neither Brad Pitt nor Angelina Jolie has publicly commented on the filing. Pitt’s representatives declined to comment, while Jolie’s representatives did not immediately respond.
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A Pattern That Has Been Building
Vivienne’s filing is part of a larger pattern, with four of the six Jolie-Pitt children now taking formal steps connected to the Jolie surname.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie share six children: Maddox, Pax, Zahara, Shiloh, Knox, and Vivienne.
Shiloh was the first sibling to publicly begin a legal process, filing to remove “Pitt” from her name on her 18th birthday in May 2024. Her request to become Shiloh Jolie was confirmed that August, according to NBC.
Maddox has since started his own proceedings, with a hearing listed for Sept. 24. Zahara filed her petition in May, and she was reportedly introduced as “Zahara Marley Jolie” at her Spelman College graduation in May. However, the printed commencement program still carried the Jolie-Pitt surname. Her hearing is scheduled for Sept. 28.
Vivienne turned 18 on July 12 and filed her petition nine days later. Among the six children, Pax and Knox have not been publicly linked to similar legal filings.
The Decade Behind the Filings
Vivienne’s request is tied to a family history that has unfolded publicly since Jolie filed for divorce in September 2016.
The separation followed an alleged confrontation aboard a private flight returning from France. Federal and county authorities investigated the incident, but no criminal charges were filed against Pitt, and the FBI closed its inquiry in November 2016.
The divorce became a lengthy legal matter involving custody disputes and separate litigation over Château Miraval, the former couple’s French winery. Pitt and Jolie were declared legally single in 2019, but their divorce was not finalized until December 2024. The settlement terms were not made public.
Sources close to Pitt have told PEOPLE that the children’s name-change decisions are connected to parental alienation, describing them as “the result of a prolonged campaign of alienation of children against their parent.” Neither Pitt nor Jolie has publicly addressed the claims surrounding the petitions.
What do you think this legal step says about Vivienne’s decision to change her name?
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