Tom Cruise’s daughter drops her famous surname before starting college

Suri, the daughter of Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, has decided to drop her father’s famous surname before her first semester of university.

The 18-year-old, who recently graduated from LaGuardia High School and is expected to begin studying at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh later this year, has changed her name in a touching nod to her mother.

Suri now calls herself Suri Noelle. The name appeared in her graduation booklet in early June and was also used when she performed in her school play, “The Addams Family: A New Musical,” last year.

RELATED: Tom Cruise has “no place” in his daughter Suri’s life, but will pay her tuition fees

“Noelle” is a nice nod to Suri’s mother, Katie, as it is her middle name. According to sources, Suri decided to use this name instead of Cruise because she wants to build her “own identity” in college.

A source added to Page Six that Suri “praises her mother by using her middle name.” Suri and Katie have a close relationship and the teenager hasn’t been seen publicly with her father in about a decade.

Katie had previously spoken about her relationship with Suri, saying that it was “really important” to her to protect her daughter because she grew up in the spotlight of the entire world.

She told Glamour: “What was really important to me with my daughter, because she was so visible from a young age, is that I really like to protect her. I’m very grateful to be a parent, to be her parent. She’s an incredible person.”

Tom and Katie announced their separation in 2012 after five years of marriage. At the time, it was said that Tom had not seen the divorce coming and said in a statement that he was “deeply saddened”.

Katie was granted “sole custody” of Suri, and according to divorce documents, Tom agreed to pay his ex $400,000 annually until their daughter turns 18.

It is also believed that the agreement will require him to cover other expenses such as medical bills and tuition fees.

Talk about this or other topics in our discussion forums.