How MacGyver’s First Name — Angus — Finally Came to Light
MacGyver, the ’80s action series led by Richard Dean Anderson, built its reputation on a hero who relied on brains instead of violence, often escaping with ordinary items like a paperclip and a piece of gum. For the first six seasons the character was known only by his last name.
Executive producer Henry Winkler initially tried to give the character a first name—Stace, in honor of his wife Stacey Weitzman—but that idea didn’t stick. Anderson says he found the name Angus on a huge LED board at a stadium in Vancouver, ran it past the producers, and it was accepted for its Scottish, proper sound.
The first name was revealed in Season 7’s two-part episode "Good Knight MacGyver." In Part II, which aired November 11, 1991, MacGyver meets a descendant named Ian M'Iver whose child is called Angus, and the hero acknowledges that Angus is his own first name, a surprise to viewers at the time.