Suri Cruise is reportedly the latest celebrity child to drop their father’s last name.
The 18-year-old graduated high school on June 21 with her famous mother, Katie Holmes, by her side. In photos obtained by Page Six, the Dawson’s Creek alum celebrated the milestone with her teenage daughter outside the United Palace Theater in Manhattan, where the ceremony took place.
For the occasion, Suri wore a white sundress under her bright red graduation robes, while Holmes was dressed in a matching light yellow pleated pants set and a collared long-sleeve shirt.
Multiple outlets later revealed that Suri had gone by “Suri Noelle” instead of “Suri Cruise” in her school’s graduation ceremony program. The Page Six report included a photo of the graduation pamphlet credited to celebrity news agency Backgrid, with the name “Suri Noelle” circled. The moniker is likely a tribute to her 45-year-old mother, whose middle name is Noelle.
The same weekend as her high school graduation, Suri’s father Tom Cruise was among the star-studded guests at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour at London’s Wembley Stadium on June 22. Cruise and Holmes, who tied the knot in November 2006, divorced in June 2012 after five years of marriage. The former couple welcomed their only child together in April 2006.
Earlier this month, the 18-year-old hinted at her college plans in a viral TikTok video. The since-deleted clip, which was posted by one of Suri’s classmates, saw the high school seniors showing off their college sweaters. Suri seemingly revealed she’ll be heading to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in the fall, as she wore a red sweatshirt with her new alma mater.
It’s currently unclear if Suri’s name change to “Suri Noelle” is a permanent, legal adjustment or a professional choice. However, it comes amid an influx of celebrity children – namely, the children of actors Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt – who have decided to forgo their famous last names.
Last month, People reported that Jolie and Pitt’s 15-year-old daughter, Vivienne Jolie-Pitt, was listed as “Vivienne Jolie” in the Playbill program for The Outsiders on Broadway. Just a few weeks prior, her older sister Shiloh legally requested to drop “Pitt” from her last name on the day she turned 18, according to documents obtained by TMZ.
Meanwhile, a viral video previously revealed that the former couple’s 19-year-old daughter Zahara was introduced by her university’s sorority as Zahara Marley Jolie, also excluding her father’s last name.
The name changes came amid speculation surrounding Pitt’s reported estrangement from his children, as well as an ongoing legal battle over shares of the former couple’s French winery, Château Miraval. The Mr & Mrs Smith co-stars split in 2016 after two years of marriage and 12 years together. They’re also parents to sons Maddox, 22, Pax, 20, and Knox, also 15.
