Jim Delligatti coined the name Big Mac for McDonald’s double-decker hamburger in 1967. Delligatti was a McDonald’s franchisee in the Pittsburgh area who developed the sandwich after experimenting with a larger burger for customers.
The sandwich originally had other proposed names, including the Blue Ribbon Burger and the Aristocrat. Esther Glickstein Rose, a McDonald’s advertising secretary, is widely credited with suggesting “Big Mac,” a name that was eventually selected for national use.
The Big Mac became a major product brand, supported by its distinctive three-part bun, two beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, pickles and onions. It is sometimes incorrectly described as a 1968 invention; national introduction came in 1968, after the 1967 regional launch.