The McDonald’s double-decker hamburger received the name “Big Mac” in 1967.
Jim Delligatti, a McDonald’s franchisee in the Pittsburgh area, created the sandwich after experimenting with a larger hamburger. It used two beef patties, a middle bun layer, lettuce, cheese, pickles, onions, and Big Mac sauce. The name helped distinguish it as a larger, more substantial burger.
The sandwich was first sold in the Pittsburgh area before expanding nationally. Its layered construction and distinctive sauce made it more than a larger version of an ordinary hamburger; they became central parts of the product’s identity and advertising.
The Big Mac name is sometimes incorrectly attributed to a company-wide invention from the beginning. The product originated with a franchisee, while McDonald’s later adopted and expanded it across the system. The 1967 date refers to the name and early commercial introduction, not the founding of the company.