McDonald's officially adopted the name “McDonald's Corporation” in 1960.
The corporate name change reflected the company's transition from a small restaurant operation into a rapidly expanding franchise business. Ray Kroc had joined the McDonald brothers' operation as a franchise agent in the 1950s, and the system was becoming nationally recognizable by the end of that decade.
The 1960 change also coincided with a major branding period. McDonald's was developing a consistent restaurant identity, expanding the use of the Golden Arches, and building a company name that could support growth across the United States and later international markets.
This date is sometimes confused with 1955, when Ray Kroc opened the Des Plaines, Illinois, restaurant and established the company associated with the modern franchise system. The corporation's formal name and the opening of that important restaurant were separate milestones.