Magallón
A Spanish surname most likely taken from the place name Magallón in Aragón, with a name that also appears in the related form Magallanes.
The #6,332 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 57,313 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Magallón is best understood as a habitational surname, meaning someone originally from Magallón, a town in Zaragoza, Spain. The surname points to place-based identity rather than a personal trait or occupation. The related surname Magallanes suggests the same regional naming pattern in Spanish surnames.
History
The excerpt places Magallón among a cluster of Spanish surnames, supporting its Iberian use. Like many Spanish locational surnames, it likely spread as families moved away from their home town and were identified by their place of origin. The name is well established in Spain and later appears in Spanish-speaking populations abroad, including the United States.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Magallón is also the name of a municipality in Zaragoza, so the surname can be traced directly to a real place on the map.
From the historical record
“nas, Llor (Llord), Llorens , Madariaga, Madinavei- tia (Medinaveitia) , Madoz , Madrazo i, Madrid, Maella, Magallanes, Magallon, Magan, Magariños, Magaz, Mahamud, Malacuera, Malaguilla, Maluen- da, Mallen, Mallo, Manjarres, Manresa, Manzana- res , Manzano , Maquieira , Maranges , Marín , Ma- ríño. Mármol, Marquina…”
— Ensayo histórico etimológico filológico sobre los apellidos castellanos