Suri Cruise has "honored" her mom Katie Holmes with her name change amid reports of a strained relationship with her father.
Suri Cruise was born in April 2006, a year after her mother Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise began dating.
The couple got engaged just seven weeks after meeting and announced their daughter's name in a press release shortly after her birth.
The name Suri was chosen based on a Persian word meaning "red rose."
The couple married later that year in a Scientology ceremony in Italy. However, Katie filed for divorce six years later, reportedly blindsiding Tom. This event is said to have marked the beginning of Tom's estrangement from his daughter.
Sources at the time suggested that Katie's decision to file for divorce was driven by concerns that Tom might try to take Suri or that she might face intimidation after leaving the Church of Scientology.
Katie gained custody of Suri and has since kept her daughter largely out of the public eye, in stark contrast to Suri's early years as one of the most famous celebrity children of the mid-2000s.
According to Page Six, Tom has not seen Suri since 2012. A source said: "Katie has safeguarded Suri and she’s a devoted mom. This is a girl who is a private citizen. She hasn’t lived her life in public."
The teenager recently made headlines after apparently dropping her well-known surname following her 18th birthday.
According to reports, she was listed as "Suri Noelle" in the program for her high school graduation, which took place last Friday.
"Noelle" is a significant choice for Suri as it is also her mother's middle name. An insider revealed that Suri chose the name change to establish her own identity and embark on a "fresh start" as she prepares to attend Carnegie Mellon University.
"She is showing praise for her mother by using her middle name," the source told PageSix, adding that this decision might help her "avoid the paparazzi."
Katie was present at the graduation ceremony, while Tom was in London and was seen attending Taylor Swift’s Eras tour performance on Saturday.
Suri has always shared a close bond with her mother, while her relationship with her father has remained a subject of speculation. An insider recently claimed that there is a rift between Tom and his youngest child.
"Tom does not exist to her," a source told the Daily Mail. "Suri will not have any contact with her father, despite being 18, and even if he called, she would not answer.
"He does not exist to Katie or Suri, and his daughter does not want to rely on him for anything. She feels that she has one parent, and that is her mother."
