Reuniting with his kids still gives Brad Pitt hope. A source told Us Weekly exclusively, "Brad is not ready to give up on his kids despite years of legal battles." "Knowing that some of his children are dropping his last name, however, is deeply upsetting."

Many of Pitt's, 60, and Angelina Jolie's children have since decided to go by Jolie's surname rather than Pitt's. Six children are shared by the former couple: Maddox, 22, Pax, 19, Zahara, 18, Shiloh, 18, and the twins, Knox and Vivienne, 15.

At her Spelman College initiation into the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority in November, Zahara went by "Zahara Marley Jolie". "Coming all the way from the Golden State, Los Angeles, California," Zahara declared in an Essence-shared video. "I am line number seven."

Months later, Vivienne took up her sister's example. Jolie is producing "The Outsiders: A New Musical," and Us Weekly verified in May that Vivienne was given her mother's maiden name on the playbill instead of the hyphenated "Jolie-Pitt." Whether or not Vivienne has legally changed her name is unknown.

Shiloh had hired her own attorney to remove Pitt's last name, according to a June 4 Us Weekly story. She became a legal adult on May 27, which also happened to be her eighteenth birthday, when court papers were filed. The request is yet awaiting clearance.

Though the name changes have been a big emotional hurdle for him, Brad Pitt is still optimistic about repairing his relationship with his kids.