Wrexham's Rob McElhenney announces name change after Ryan Reynolds made video

Daily Mirror

a day ago

Rob McElhenney is legally changing his name to Rob Mac to avoid constant mispronunciations, saying most people already call him that and it saves time for everyone
Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney has addressed his decision to file legal documents to change his name. The It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia star first announced his intention to switch to the shortened moniker of "Rob Mac" back in May.
The 48-year-old's surname is often mispronounced to the extent that fellow Wrexham owner Ryan Reynolds wrote a song for his birthday in April 2023 to teach people how to say it. McElhenney's wife and Always Sunny co-star Kaitlin Olson previously said the couple's children were not in favour of the change and suggested she also had concerns.
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However, it was revealed last week that he had formally lodged legal documents in Los Angeles to press ahead with the move. McElhenney has now shared a video to explain his decision, which he said was due to growing tired of having to explain the pronunciation of his surname.
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In footage published on his social media accounts, 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.
"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."
McElhenney 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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The standard cost of filing for a name change in California is around £330 ($450). That figure can increase once other charges, such as publicising the notice in a newspaper, obtaining certified copies and updating official documents, are taken into account.
Total costs for the whole process can potentially rise to more than £580 ($800) if the application is handled without legal assistance. As well as having a stake in Wrexham, McElhenney also has his own company called More Better Industries.
The firm, specialising in film, television, and multimedia company, was launched in 2024. McElhenney was also part-owner of Philadelphia bar known as Mac's Tavern, which announced last week that it was closing after 15 years in business.
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