What name did McDonald’s Corporation adopt in 1960 after dropping “System” from its corporate name?

McDonald’s Corporation was the corporate name adopted in 1960 after the company dropped “System” from its earlier name.

Ray Kroc had joined the McDonald brothers’ restaurant business as a franchise agent and expanded the model into a much larger organization. The business had previously operated under the name McDonald’s Systems, Inc., a title that reflected its emphasis on standardized restaurant procedures and franchising.

In 1960, the company changed its name to McDonald’s Corporation. The shorter name became the enduring corporate identity used for the expanding restaurant chain and its public communications. This was a corporate-branding change, not the introduction of a new restaurant slogan or mascot.

The name change is sometimes confused with the later development of the Golden Arches logo. The arches had already appeared in restaurant architecture, and the logo was developed separately. McDonald’s Corporation remains the company’s legal corporate name, while individual restaurants operate under the McDonald’s brand.