Rob McElhenney Changed His Name to Rob Mac, but Why Did He Decide to Do That?

Changing your name is a major step, but if you think about it, it's strange that it's one of the things in life that most people don't take control of. Following the news that Rob McElhenney, the creator and actor behind It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and a variety of other things, was changing his name to Rob Mac, many wanted to know what motivated the change.

Rob Mac is certainly shorter and easier to say, but is that the only reason Rob decided to change a name that he's had for decades? Here's what we know.

Rob, who is now 48, filed paperwork to legally change his name to Rob Mac. In speaking with People, he explained that part of the reason he did it was to avoid confusion about his family name.

“When I did a full family tree and realized that it had been spelled differently six or seven different times since the late 1800s,” he explained. He added that he had previously believed that the name connected him to a long lineage.

“There was always a part of me that thought this is my name and it's a connection to a long lineage of people and my family,” he said. “But I realized that it was just a series of letters and syllables that was smacked together by some government official in the late 1800s, and I thought maybe we can do things a little differently.”

Rob also offered some explanation in a video announcing the change, which he posted on X (formerly Twitter).

In the video, Rob offered a more practical explanation for why he had decided to change his name.

“The amount of time that I have wasted trying to get people to either say or spell is literally days of my life," he explained. “Times have changed, and most people already call me ‘Rob Mac’ anyway. My family knows me and loves me regardless of how many syllables I have, and that’s the only thing I really care about."

“There are so many things going on in the world, and this is a silly one to continue to waste your time with,” he continued. “Maybe we just keep it simple and try ‘Rob Mac.’ Let’s see how it goes.”

The news that Rob would be changing his name came after Entertainment Weekly reported that he would be credited as Rob Mac on all projects moving forward, so it seems he's been considering this change for some time.

As Rob points out, he doesn't think this change necessarily needs to be a big deal. He'll be Rob Mac moving forward, and it'll be easier and shorter for everyone to say it. More than anything else, it seems like Rob realized his name wasn't all that precious, and changing it would make everyone's life easier, including his own.