The official name of McDonald’s famous yellow M-shaped symbol is the Golden Arches.
The arches began as architectural features on McDonald’s restaurants in the 1950s. The company later combined the two arches into the recognizable M-shaped corporate symbol. Their bright yellow color and simple silhouette made the mark easy to identify from roads and at a distance.
The Golden Arches became one of the most recognizable symbols in commercial branding. Although the arches originated in restaurant architecture, they eventually became more important as a standalone logo than as a literal building feature. McDonald’s has used the symbol in signs, packaging, advertising, and digital media.
“Golden M” is a common informal description, but it is not the established name. The canonical term is “Golden Arches,” referring to the paired arch forms that create the logo’s visual shape.