What is the name of McDonald’s famous golden-arch symbol?

McDonald’s famous golden-arch symbol is called the Golden Arches.

The design developed from the architecture of early McDonald’s restaurants. In the 1950s, architect Stanley Clark Meston designed buildings featuring large yellow arches at the sides. The arches were visible from the road and helped distinguish the restaurants from nearby businesses.

The arches later became a stylized letter M, turning a functional architectural feature into one of the world’s most recognizable corporate symbols. McDonald’s trademarked the Golden Arches as part of its broader visual identity.

People sometimes call the symbol simply the “golden M,” but the established brand name is the Golden Arches. The phrase also became a shorthand for McDonald’s itself, especially in journalism and popular culture.