The name “Big Mac” was trademarked in 1967 and became a major part of McDonald's brand identity.
The Big Mac was created by Jim Delligatti, a McDonald's franchisee, and introduced nationally in the United States in 1968. Its name emphasized size and helped distinguish the sandwich from the chain's standard hamburger offerings.
The product became more than a menu item: its name, two beef patties, special sauce, and distinctive three-part bun made it a recognizable symbol of McDonald's. The Big Mac Index later used the sandwich as a rough way to compare purchasing power between countries.
A common mix-up is the timing of the trademark and the national launch. The name was trademarked in 1967, while the Big Mac was introduced nationally in 1968. The sandwich had also been tested regionally before that wider rollout.