Angelina Jolie Kids: Names, Ages, and Family Background

Angelina Jolie at the Cannes Film festival

Angelina Jolie’s six children have grown up in the public eye, but each has a different story behind their place in the family.

The Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie kids include three adopted children and three biological children, creating a family with roots in Cambodia, Ethiopia, Vietnam, and the United States.

As they’ve grown older, several have also made independent choices about their names, education, careers, and public lives.

So, who are Angelina Jolie’s kids today? Here’s a closer look at all six children, including their names, ages, family backgrounds, and the latest publicly documented details about their surnames as of September 2026.

How Many Kids Does Angelina Jolie Have?

A single table settles the count fastest. This family includes three children welcomed through adoption from three different countries, and three born into the family. According to USCIS’s overview of intercountry adoption, cross-border adoptions like these follow a formal legal process before a child can join a family permanently.

Child

Born

Joined Family By

Age (Sept 2026)

Maddox Chivan

August 2001, Cambodia

Adoption (2002)

25

Pax Thien

November 2003, Vietnam

Adoption (2007)

22

Zahara Marley

January 2005, Ethiopia

Adoption (2005)

21

Shiloh Nouvel

May 2006, Namibia

Birth

20

Knox Léon

July 2008, France

Birth (twin)

18

Vivienne Marcheline

July 2008, France

Birth (twin)

18

Together, Angelina Jolie’s six children include three adopted children and three biological children, with birthplaces spanning Cambodia, Vietnam, Ethiopia, Namibia, and France.

Angelina Jolie’s Kids and Their Backgrounds

angelina jolie posing with her six children at a public event

Image Source:People

Each of the six has a distinct background, shaped by where they were born and how they joined the family. According to the State Department’s overview of intercountry adoption, cross-border adoptions like Maddox, Pax, and Zahara’s involve a formal legal and immigration process. The six short profiles below cover what makes each child’s story different.

Maddox Chivan

Maddox was born in Cambodia in August 2001 and was Angelina Jolie’s first adoption, finalized in 2002 before Brad Pitt adopted him as well.

He studied at Yonsei University in South Korea and worked behind the scenes on Jolie’s 2017 film First They Killed My Father.

In 2026, he was credited without his father’s surname on Jolie’s film Couture, months before he filed his own name-change petition.

Pax Thien

Pax was born in Vietnam in November 2003 and adopted by Jolie in 2007, with Pitt adopting him soon after.

Unlike four of his siblings, he has kept a notably low public profile, rarely appearing at premieres or giving interviews.

As of September 2026, he has not filed any public petition to change his surname, nor commented publicly on the family’s ongoing situation.

Zahara Marley

Zahara was born in Ethiopia in January 2005 and adopted by Jolie later that year.

She signed paperwork in April 2026 seeking to remove Pitt from her name, then graduated from Spelman College the following month with a psychology degree, walking the stage simply as Zahara Marley Jolie rather than her legal name.

Her petition has a September 28 hearing date.

Shiloh Nouvel

Shiloh, born in Namibia in May 2006, is Jolie and Pitt’s first biological child.

She filed to legally drop the surname Pitt on her eighteenth birthday in May 2024, and a judge granted the change later that year, making her legal name Shiloh Jolie.

She was the first of the six to complete the process, with three siblings following since.

Knox Léon

Knox, born in France in July 2008, is the younger of Jolie’s biological twins by minutes.

As of September 2026, he has not filed any public petition or made any statement about his surname, the same position his brother Pax is in.

He turned eighteen the same day as his twin sister Vivienne, who chose a very different legal path.

Vivienne Marcheline

Vivienne, Knox’s twin sister, was also born in France in July 2008. She worked as a production assistant on Broadway’s The Outsiders, credited simply as Vivienne Jolie in the Playbill, and days after turning eighteen in July 2026, she filed her own petition to drop Pitt.

By mid-August, she had completed the required newspaper notice ahead of a ruling.

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt’s Custody Story, Briefly

angelina jolie and brad pitt with their children during a public airport appearance

Image Source: Getty

Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt married in August 2014 after several years together. Jolie filed for divorce in September 2016 following an incident on a private flight that led to an FBI investigation, which closed without charges.

The case remained unresolved for years, covering both child custody and shared assets, before the divorce was finally settled at the end of 2024.

At least one of the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie’s kids has been publicly critical of his father, with Pax posting a critical message about Pitt on social media back in 2020.

The surname changes filed by four of the six children in the years since are widely read as reflecting that prolonged situation, though sources close to each parent have offered competing explanations.

Angelina Jolie’s Adoption Journey

angelina jolie posing in an elegant vogue portrait during her 2015 cover shoot

Image Source: Vogue

Angelina Jolie began building her family years before meeting Brad Pitt, starting with her first adoption in Cambodia. Each child joined the family through a different path and a different year. Here’s a quick look at how her family took shape from 2002 to 2008.

  • 2002: Adopting Maddox from Cambodia: Jolie adopted Maddox as a single parent, her first child and first adoption, years before meeting Brad Pitt.
  • 2005: Adopting Zahara from Ethiopia: Jolie adopted Zahara as her second child, expanding the family further before her relationship with Pitt became public.
  • 2006: Welcoming Shiloh: Shiloh was born in Namibia, becoming Jolie and Pitt’s first biological child and the family’s fourth member.
  • 2007: Adopting Pax from Vietnam: Jolie and Pitt adopted Pax together, their first joint adoption and the family’s third international placement.
  • 2008: Welcoming Twins Knox and Vivienne: The couple’s biological twins were born in France, completing the family of six.

Three different countries, three different years, and three adoptions later, Jolie had built most of her family before her three biological children arrived. That mix of adoption and birth is part of why this family continues to draw public attention.

Which of the Six Kids Have Changed Their Surname?

Court filings since 2024 have turned surnames into the biggest ongoing story around this family. Under California’s process for changing a name, described by the California Courts self-help guide, anyone seeking a new legal name must file a petition and complete a public notice before a judge can rule. The table below tracks where each of the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie kids currently stands.

Child

Surname Status (Sept 2026)

Notes

Maddox

Filed petition

Filed separately in May 2026; hearing set for Sept. 14

Pax

No public filing

No reported name-change activity

Zahara

Filed petition

Signed in April, filed in June 2026; hearing set for Sept. 28

Shiloh

Legally changed

Petition filed May 2024, approved later that year

Knox

No public filing

Same status as Pax, no reported action either way

Vivienne

Filed petition

Filed July 17, 2026, days after turning 18

Four of the six, Shiloh, Maddox, Zahara, and Vivienne, have now taken formal legal steps. Pax and Knox are the two who haven’t, a detail covered further in the FAQ section below.

Where are the Six Kids Now?

Beyond the legal filings, several of the six have quietly moved into new chapters of their own.

  • Maddox: Continues film and production work while based abroad for his studies.
  • Pax: Has made no additional public statements and has not filed for a name change.
  • Zahara: Has kept a low media profile since graduating from Spelman College.
  • Shiloh: Has stepped back from public appearances since her teenage years.
  • Knox: Turned 18 in July 2026 without publicly addressing the surname issue.
  • Vivienne: Turned 18 in July 2026 and continues working behind the scenes in theater.

Each update shows a different way of moving forward, some staying close to entertainment, others stepping fully outside it. Together, these snapshots round out where this family stands as of late 2026.

How the Public Follows Angelina Jolie’s Family

Public interest in this family shows up in a few consistent ways. Entertainment outlets track court filings closely, often publishing hearing dates within days of them becoming public record.

Fan accounts on social media compile old interviews, red carpet photos, and college graduation posts to piece together where each child stands today.

Because the six children rarely give interviews themselves, most updates come from court documents, university announcements, and the occasional public appearance rather than direct statements.

This pattern, quiet children and active outside coverage, has become the normal way fans stay updated on the family’s ongoing story.

Final Thoughts

Angelina Jolie’s kids add up to six children, three through adoption and three by birth. Their names and ages are simple to list, but the surname story since 2024 is what has kept this family in the news.

Four of the six, Shiloh, Maddox, Zahara, and Vivienne, have taken legal steps to drop their father’s name, while Pax and Knox have made no public move. That split reflects individual choice more than any shared family stance.

The exact reasons remain private, since none of the six has explained their own reasoning beyond standard court paperwork.

What stands out most is how a private family matter keeps playing out through court filings, keeping public interest in this family alive years later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Have Any of the Six Kids Appeared in Her Films?

Yes. Vivienne appeared alongside Jolie in Maleficent, while Maddox worked behind the scenes on First They Killed My Father, a film Jolie directed.

Does Angelina Jolie Have Grandchildren?

As of the most recent public reporting, there are no confirmed reports of Angelina Jolie having grandchildren.

Why Did Several of the Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie Kids Change Their Last Name?

None of the children have detailed their exact reasoning publicly, though the changes are widely seen as connected to the family’s prolonged divorce and custody case.

Has Angelina Jolie Commented Publicly on the Surname Changes?

Jolie has not made detailed public statements about each individual filing, keeping her response to the matter largely private.

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