Magallanes
A Spanish surname most likely tied to the place-name Magallón or a related Iberian toponymic form.
The #4,012 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 34,879 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Magallanes is generally treated as a Spanish surname of place-name origin. The shape of the name suggests a connection with an Iberian locality or regional name, and historical sources often link it with Magallón or similar forms rather than deriving it from a common noun. In Portuguese, the name is commonly written Magalhães, showing a closely related form across Iberian languages.
History
The surname is best known worldwide through Ferdinand Magellan, whose Portuguese surname was Magalhães. In Spanish usage, Magallanes became established as a surname and later spread to the Americas through Spanish and Portuguese colonial migration. Because the name has several close Iberian spellings, older sources sometimes treat its exact root cautiously.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The famous explorer Ferdinand Magellan was born Fernão de Magalhães; the Spanish form Magallanes is the version that became widely familiar in English and many other languages.
From the historical record
“A A A A A Magalhaens. Nombre de Magallanes en portugués, Magaña Defecto del cañon de artilleria. Engaño, ardid, Magra. Lonja de jamon.”
— Diccionario de los apellidos