Rob McElhenney Officially Changes His Name to ‘Rob Mac’

Rob McElhenney is making headlines for filing to legally change his name. After years of jokes, musical tributes, and global business expansion, the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia star has officially begun the process of becoming “Rob Mac.” The move follows public discussions about how often people mispronounce his surname and marks a shift already reflected in official credits for his FX projects.

Here’s what McElhenney has said about the name change and how it connects to his evolving career and public identity.

Why is Rob McElhenney changing his name?

Rob McElhenney has filed legal documents to change his name to Rob Mac.

According to TMZ and multiple other outlets, he signed the paperwork in Los Angeles. The change comes after years of public confusion and mispronunciations of his surname.

The actor and producer said the decision was influenced by the international growth of his business and creative ventures. “As our business and our storytelling is expanding into other regions of the world and other languages in which my name is even harder to pronounce, I’m just going by Rob Mac,” he told Variety in May 2025.

The FX network has already updated his credit to “Rob Mac” in official materials for It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, where he plays Mac and serves as executive producer and writer. The show’s 17th season, premiering July 9, 2025, will reflect this name change.

In 2023, Ryan Reynolds created a musical birthday video to explain how to pronounce McElhenney’s name, featuring stars like Kaitlin Olson, Glenn Howerton, and Charlie Day. Reynolds sang, “It’s McElhenney, it’s McElhenney, while ways to massacre and mispronounce it there are many.”

McElhenney and Olson share two children, Axel and Leo. Olson said in a recent interview that their kids were “really not happy about it, because they have that last name. And so do I, legally.” (via The Hollywood Reporter)

The name change coincides with McElhenney’s business expansion through More Better Industries, including ventures like Wrexham AFC and an upcoming spinoff series, Necaxa. He also confirmed that members of his extended family had already adopted similar modifications to the surname.

The Hollywood Reporter and People confirmed the name change and noted that McElhenney has been using “Rob Mac” informally in recent months.

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