Suri Cruise didn’t just get a diploma at her high school graduation; she also seemed to introduce the world to her new name. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ 18-year-old daughter graduated from LaGuardia High School on June 21, and while the academic achievement was exciting, it was how she was presented in the program that attracted the most attention. The event reportedly referred to her as Suri Noelle, a change that clearly highlights the teenager’s current relationship with her divorced parents.
It’s no secret that Suri and her dad aren’t very close. She has been estranged from Tom for over a decade, since Katie was granted full custody of Suri in the couple’s contentious 2012 divorce. So it doesn’t come as a huge surprise that once Suri turned 18 earlier this year, she could drop her father’s surname. And her new name choice further cements the bond Suri has with her mother. Noelle is Katie’s middle name, so Suri taking it as her new last name seems to be a sweet homage to her mom.
Of course, Katie was present at the graduation ceremony cheering her daughter on. Meanwhile, Tom was in London at Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour concert at the time.
With high school in the rearview, Suri has hinted that she’s heading to Carnegie Mellon for college to study music.
Suri’s apparent decision to change her name comes closely after a similar move by another famous 18-year-old daughter of estranged celeb parents: Shiloh Jolie-Pitt. In May, Shiloh reportedly filed legal work to have her name officially changed to Shiloh Jolie, dropping the “Pitt.” This came after years of reported tension between Brad Pitt and his six children with ex-wife Angelina Jolie. Brad and Angelina’s other children have also reportedly stopped using “Pitt” in the surnames, although Shiloh is the first to file a legal request.
Now that the children of the messiest celeb divorces of the 2000s are all grown up, it’s clearer than ever which parent they’re cool with, and which they’d rather not even associate with on a nominal level.