Did Suri Cruise Follow Shiloh Jolie's Lead And Drop Her Famous Last Name?

When Suri Cruise graduated from Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School in June 2024, she used the name Suri Noelle. When Pittsburgh magazine announced she would be joining Carnegie Mellon University that fall, it used Noelle instead of Cruise. This suggests she may have followed in the footsteps of Shiloh Jolie, who dropped Brad Pitt's last name as soon as she turned 18. However, it is unclear whether Suri has legally dropped Tom Cruise's famous last name (whose actual surname wasn't originally Cruise, btw).

What is clear is that she chose to honor her mother, Katie Holmes, with her new name. "She is showing praise for her mother by using her middle name," a source told Page Six after news of the name change came to light. While the insider didn't know for sure, they speculated that Suri's decision was spurred by a desire to develop "her own identity." Children who have famous parents or families choose to go by a different name for many reasons.

Malia Obama goes by Malia Ann professionally, even though she has a close relationship with Barack Obama. Nicolas Cage doesn't go by his real name in an effort to separate his identity from the famed Coppola family. Given that Suri was listed as Noelle in the playbill of her high school musical "Head Over Heels," she may simply be going a similar route of choosing a stage name to avoid associations. But her relationship with the "Mission: Impossible" star appears to more closely mirror that of Shiloh with Pitt, whose estranged relationship with many of his and Angelina Jolie's children has been widely reported on, than Malia and Cage's situation. 

Suri Cruise has reportedly been estranged from Tom Cruise for more than a decade. The last time the two were seen together was in 2013, a year after Tom and Katie Holmes' highly contentious 2012 divorce. That means Suri hasn't seen her father since she was around 6 or 7. While details are unknown, it is widely accepted that Suri and Tom have had little to no contact for years. And that has reportedly been the case even after Suri turned 18 in 2024.

From that point on, Tom could contact her directly instead of going through Holmes. "The truth is, for the last 11 years, Tom has chosen not to see Suri," a source told InTouch in 2024. However, other insiders have dispelled the narrative that the actor has had no contact at all with Suri. In 2018, a source told Hollywood Life that he actually sends her birthday presents every year. "It's not something Katie talks about though, beyond saying that Tom does always come through with gifts for things like birthdays and Christmas. She's very tight-lipped," the insider dished.

It's hard to know the full truth about Tom's relationship with Suri, but he has been involved in the financial aspect of raising his daughter. In the divorce settlement, he agreed to pay $400,000 a year in child support, in addition to medical, dental, and education costs, including college tuition. It appears that he has fulfilled those obligations. However, Suri's name change suggests their relationship doesn't go much beyond that.