What is the name of the yellow M-shaped symbol used in McDonald's logo?

The yellow M-shaped symbol in McDonald's logo is called the Golden Arches.

The design originated in the architecture of early McDonald's restaurants. Architect Stanley Clark Meston created large yellow arches for the restaurant opened in Downey, California, in 1953. The arches were intended to make the building visible from the road and give it a distinctive roadside profile.

Although the physical arches became less common as restaurant designs changed, the shape remained valuable as a graphic mark. In 1962, McDonald's combined two stylized arches into the familiar M-shaped corporate symbol.

The Golden Arches are sometimes described simply as the McDonald's logo, but the term also refers to the architectural elements that inspired it. Their importance comes from the way a building feature became a globally recognizable brand identity. The symbol is now used independently of a restaurant's physical architecture.