Zooey Deschanel has added her surname to her children's names as part of her divorce settlement.

The 40-year-old actress and Jacob Pechenik - who announced they had split in September 2019 after four years of marriage - have agreed their kids will now be known as Elsie Otter Deschanel Pechenik and Charlie Wolf Deschanel Pechenik to make it easier when they travel with the 'New Girl' star.

Documents obtained by The Blast explained: ''The children's last names shall always be Pechenik, and Deschanel shall be a middle name only and used only on documents.

''This is done to facilitate the joint custody that the parties are sharing and to alleviate any legal confusion when the mother is traveling with the children.''

Jacob filed for divorce last October, citing irreconcilable differences and listing their date of separation as January 2019.

The former couple reached a settlement in May, which includes sharing joint custody of Elsie, four, and three-year-old Charlie.

Jacob, 47, has previously insisted their split was ''amicable''.

He said: ''Everything is amicable and we have two beautiful children together. We've been raising them and we're going to continue to raise them, and take great care of get them ... I'm happy.''

Zooey - who is now dating 'Property Brothers' star Jonathan Scott - and the producer announced they were separating with a statement.

In a joint message, they previously said: ''After much discussion and a long period of contemplation we have decided we are better off as friends, business partners and co-parents rather than life partners. We remain committed to our business, our values and most of all our children. Thank you for respecting our privacy at this time.''