What does the “Mc” prefix in McDonald’s branding originate from?

The “Mc” prefix in McDonald’s branding originates from the surname of brothers Richard and Maurice McDonald.

The brothers opened the first McDonald’s restaurant in San Bernardino, California, in 1940. Their family name became the restaurant’s central brand name, later shortened in public usage to “McDonald’s” with the apostrophe-s showing possession.

McDonald’s subsequently extended the “Mc” form across product names, including McNuggets, McMuffin, and McFlurry. These names made the prefix function as a recognizable brand marker rather than merely part of the corporate name.

Ray Kroc is closely linked with the company’s expansion, but he did not supply the McDonald name. Kroc joined the business as a franchise agent and later built the corporation that expanded the brothers’ restaurant concept internationally. The naming origin remains tied to the founding brothers’ surname.