It's Always Sunny star Rob McElhenney files to legally change name

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia's Rob McElhenney has decided it's time for a rebrand.

The 48-year-old actor is best known for his role in the long-running FX comedy series, as well as being the co-owner of rising Welsh football team Wrexham A.F.C. alongside Ryan Reynolds, however we all better get used to knowing him by a drastically different name.

Given the fact that McElhenney has been active in the entertainment industry since the late 1990s and has built a hugely successful career, you'd think it be a pretty bad business move for an actor to change their name.

However the Mythic Quest co-creator has decided it's now time to bring himself a little closer to his It's Always Sunny counterpart.

So what name is McElhenney now seeking to be known as – and why?

Why is Rob McElhenney changing his name?

The actor and Wrexham A.F.C. co-owner is rebranding (Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images)

According to a report from Entertainment Weekly, McElhenney has legally filed to change his name to 'Rob Mac' – which anyone whose been tuning into the antics at Paddy's Pub over the years will already know him as.

This isn't the first time which McElhenney - or do we now say 'Mac' - has floated the idea of changing his name, with the actor explaining in a May interview with Variety that he'd been going by the shortened moniker for a while, as pronunciation of his birth name was a issue with international audiences.

"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 explained.

Outside of his work as an actor, McElhenney is the founder of More Better Industries, which is involved in numerous investments - including in football teams in central and south America - which is why he wants a name which doesn't cause confusion when people see it written on the page.

For anyone who's unsure on the pronunciation, its said as 'MACK-el-hen-ee' – with Reynolds famously penning a musical number to help people get their heads around it.

However wife Kaitlin Olson wasn't initially onboard with it (Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

The change won't only apply to his public persona either, as TMZ states the actor filed the relevant legal paper work to bring 'Rob Mac' to life earlier this week, meaning the new name will soon be on all his official documents.

The decision to change his surname wasn't a completely straightforward one, as McElhenney revealed he'd been concerned about disrespecting his ancestry. He's also received a mixed reaction from his wife Kaitlin Olson and children, who all legally share the McElhenney surname.

"The kids are really not happy about it, because they have that last name," Olson explained to Variety back in May. "And so do I, legally."

Backlash or not, it seems to be a change the actor is keen to push ahead with the change.

So it's goodbye 'Rob McElhenney' and hello 'Rob Mac'.