Recently, a court has given the green light to Shiloh Jolie-Pitt’s petition to alter her name. The 16-year-old daughter of renowned actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt will now be officially recognized as Shiloh Jolie-Vanlanden.
It has been reported that Shiloh had been aiming to adopt her mother’s maiden name, Jolie, as part of her surname for some time. Nonetheless, the final court decision endorsed changing her middle name to “Vanlanden,” which traces back to the maiden name of her father’s mother.
The specific motivations behind Shiloh’s choice to modify her name remain undisclosed, and spokespeople for both Jolie and Pitt have refrained from commenting on the subject. Notably, Shiloh has previously been vocal about her gender identity, opting to use gender-neutral pronouns when referring to herself.
This name change unfolds amid the ongoing legal disputes between her parents, who parted ways in 2016 after a 12-year relationship. The duo, parents to six children, have been locked in a heated custody dispute over their younger children since their split.
Despite their personal conflicts, both Jolie and Pitt have shown dedication to joint parenting efforts and have publicly appeared together with their children on numerous occasions. It remains to be seen how Shiloh’s new name might play a role in the continuing custody discussions, though it is understood that both parents were informed about the name change petition and had the chance to raise objections.
Born in Namibia in 2006, Shiloh Jolie-Vanlanden is the first biological child of Jolie and Pitt’s six children. She has three biological siblings—Zahara, 17; and twins Knox and Vivienne, 13—as well as three adopted siblings—Maddox, 20; Pax, 18; and Zahara, 17.
The petition for the name change was submitted in a court in Los Angeles and was approved without necessitating an additional hearing. Shiloh’s new official name will be updated across all her legal identifications, including her birth certificate and passport.
Children opting for name changes can be driven by various factors, such as a need to distance themselves from one of their parents or to better represent a shift in their personal identity. In Shiloh’s case, the approval for her name change has been officially sanctioned, paving the way for her to embrace her new identity as she wishes.
