Wrexham's Rob McElhenney spends £330 to change name after Ryan Reynolds tried to help

Wales Online

3 days ago

Wrexham's Rob McElhenney spends £330 to change name after Ryan Reynolds tried to help
Rob McElhenney announced in May that he would be shortening his name to "Rob Mac" and has now explained his reasons for the name change after filing legal documents
Rob McElhenney, pictured with his wife Kaitlin Olson, has decided to change his name
(Image: Jacob King/PA Wire )
Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney has opened up about his move to officially change his name.
The actor, known for his role on "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia," initially expressed his desire to go by "Rob Mac" back in May. The 48-year-old has had his surname frequently mispronounced, prompting fellow Wrexham owner Ryan Reynolds to pen a song for his birthday in April 2023 on how to pronounce it correctly.
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His wife and Always Sunny co-star Kaitlin Olson has relayed that their children are not in favour of the name change and hinted at her own reservations. However, details surfaced last week showing McElhenney finalising legal paperwork in Los Angeles to formalise his new name.
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In a video he shared with fans, McElhenney discussed his reasons, largely stemming from frustration over people struggling to spell or say his surname properly.
In the clip circulated on his social media platforms, he said: "Yes, I'm shortening my name to Rob Mac. Mostly a stage name, but I digress. Is it kinda douchey? Sure. But the amount of time that I have wasted trying to get people to either spell or say my name correctly, is literally days of my life. Trust me, I added it up.
"More importantly, it means thousands of you have had minutes of your life stolen by me, because of my last name, including this one. It's a family name, my grandparents, parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins and I all share it, and I love them and I want to stay connected."
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Ryan Reynolds previously wrote a song for Rob McElhenney to teach people how to say his name
(Image: Twitter )
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"Except, it's not even really our f***ing name. Not only have many generations changed its spelling, the current one was just given to my ancestor by a government official who decided that this was now the spelling."
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He added: "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 that I really care about."
"Honestly, call me whatever you want. Marion, Jerome, Archibald, Eric, Maurice, Stephanie, Frances, Marvin, Gordon or Sam. But maybe we just keep it simple and try Rob Mac. Let's see how it goes."
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Changing your name in California generally costs around £330 ($450) for the standard filing. However, once additional fees for newspaper notices, certified copies, and updated official documents are added, expenses can increase.
The overall cost may rise to over £580 ($800) without seeking professional help or potentially more if legal assistance is provided. As well as having a stake in Wrexham, McElhenney founded his own company, More Better Industries.
Established in 2024, it specialises in multimedia projects encompassing television and film. McElhenney also co-founded Mac's Tavern in Philadelphia, a pub that last week revealed it was closing after 15 years of serving the community.