McDonald's Has Many Different Nicknames Around The World. Here's A Look At Our Favorite Ones
No matter where you travel in the world, finding a McDonald's will immediately fill you with a sense of familiarity. Seeing those signature golden arches, despite being thousands of miles from home, is like spotting a familiar face in the crowd. If you're wondering just how many McDonald's locations are there in the world, the answer is a lot. The chain is present in more than a hundred countries, all of which have slightly different menus, causing us to daydream about international menu items we'd love to see in the U.S. like Canadian poutine or an Indian McSpicy Paneer burger. But despite the varying menus and locations, one thing is universal no matter where you go — everybody has given McDonald's a nickname.
Let's start with the English-speaking locations. In the United States, the popular nickname is Mickey D's. It's been around since the '70s and is thought to have first been used by the African American community, but soon spread to almost everyone. Australians call the chain Macca's, the Irish Maccers, and the Brits go for Maccies — though you'll also hear McD's from the Scots. Oh, and the Canadians apparently call it McDick's. Take that as you will.
Asia is the second-biggest market for McDonald's, with China and Japan taking the lead by number of locations. In China, the business was officially renamed in 2017 to a popular nickname, the Golden Arches — or Jingongmen in Chinese, although the actual restaurants are still called Maidanglao, the Chinese interpretation of McDonald's. In Japan, the two pet names for the fast-food chain are Makku and Makudo, depending on the region; both words come from the Japanese word for McDonald's — Makudonarudo.
From McDick's to McRat, McDonald's nicknames don't always make sense
The Europeans have a whole variety of nicknames for McDonald's as well. You'll find McDough and MacDo in France and Belgium, Mekkes in Germany, Mækker'n in Norway, and Maķītis in Latvia. In Slovenia, it is simply called Mek — and apparently, this nickname is shared with the Czech Republic, whose countryfolk sometimes also call it Mekáč. While most of these nicknames are obviously derived from the first part of McDonald's name, some places have taken a different approach. In Denmark and Germany, McDonald's can sometimes be referred to as the Golden Seagull. The Swedes decided to take a more creative route too, nicknaming the chain Donken, focusing on the second part of the name. According to the Study in Sweden Facebook page, "Donken may be the most important Swedish word to know if you're living on a student budget." Yet another universal McDonald's experience.
The McDo nickname can also be heard in the Philippines, while in India (where we taste-tested 16 unique McDonald's menu items), you'll find a shorter McD. Mexico calls the chain McDona's, which makes sense ... and Peru calls it MacRata, translating to McRat, which makes about as much sense as the Canadian nickname.
McDonald's likes to lean into its fun nicknames
McDonald's is named after the two brothers who originally founded the chain — Richard and Maurice McDonald. Interestingly, both brothers went by nicknames that reflect certain pet names for the chain we've encountered so far. Richard was known as Dick, and Maurice was called Mac. Although the McDonald brothers went through many trials and tribulations, the chain of restaurants ultimately grew to be so successful that it's hard to find a person today who hasn't heard of the globally famous last name. But what does the fast-food chain think of its nicknames as a company?
The first indication of McDonald's embracing the nicknames happened in 1984, when the chain trademarked its American nickname, Mickey D's. Since then, the restaurant has frequently leaned into the fun and even capitalized on the nicknaming trend. For example, a promo campaign in Sweden specifically used the word Donken to appeal to young people and encourage them to find employment at McDonald's. And in Brazil, where the chain is affectionately referred to as Méqui, a few locations even replaced the large McDonald's sign above the entrance with the nickname. Per Ads of the World, the marketing director of Brazilian McDonald's addressed the connection the chain has with the fans, saying "we are just like old friends who call each other by nicknames."