2000
#5,116
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,294
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.33
Rare Last name
Magallanes
A habitational surname referring to someone from Magallanes, a region in the Philippines or Chile, or from Magallon, Spain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,162 Americans carry the last name Magallanes. That puts it at #4,296 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,410 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Magallanes surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
9.2K
1 in 37,410
Census rank
#4,296
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,990 bearers of the surname Magallanes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4296th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Magallanes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%) and White (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Magallanes
The surname Magallanes originates from Spain and dates back to the 15th century. It is a toponymic surname derived from the Spanish city of Magallón, located in the province of Zaragoza in the region of Aragon. The name Magallón likely comes from the Latin word "magalia," referring to small rural dwellings or huts.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Magallanes can be found in the "Catastro de Ensenada," a census-like document compiled in the 18th century during the reign of King Ferdinand VI of Spain. This document mentions several families with the surname Magallanes residing in various parts of Spain.
The most famous bearer of the surname Magallanes was Ferdinand Magellan (1480-1521), the Portuguese explorer who led the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe. Although his original surname was Magalhães, it was Hispanicized to Magallanes during his time in Spain. The strait between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, as well as the Magellanic Clouds in the night sky, are named after him.
Another notable individual with the surname Magallanes was Francisco de Magallanes (1522-1590), a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of the Philippines and helped establish Spanish settlements in the archipelago.
In the realm of literature, Juan Manuel Magallanes (1722-1807) was a Spanish writer and poet from Seville who gained recognition for his works in the 18th century.
During the colonial era in Mexico, there were several notable figures with the surname Magallanes, such as Juan de Magallanes (1579-1645), a Spanish Franciscan friar and missionary who worked to convert indigenous populations in New Spain.
In more recent times, Enrique Magallanes (1885-1958) was a Mexican composer and musician known for his contributions to the development of Mexican folk music.
While the surname Magallanes is not among the most common in Spanish-speaking countries today, it remains a part of the rich cultural heritage and history of Spain and its former colonies, reflecting the influence of explorers, writers, and other notable individuals who bore this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Magallanes
Among Census respondents with the surname Magallanes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%) and White (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Magallanes bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Magallanes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino90.4% · 7,225
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.6% · 371
- White4.0% · 317
- Two or more races0.7% · 55
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 13
- Black or African American0.1% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Magallanes
Magallanes appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#4,012
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,852
+2,558 bearers (+40.6%)
Per 100,000 3.00
Rank movement Up 1,104 places
2020
#4,296
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,990
-862 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 2.67
Rank movement Down 284 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,116 | 6,294 | 2.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,012 | 8,852 | 3.00 | +2,558 bearers (+40.6%) | Up 1,104 places |
| 2020 | #4,296 | 7,990 | 2.67 | -862 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 284 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Magallanes surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,012 | #4,296 | -7.1% |
| Count | 8,852 | 7,990 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 3.00 | 2.67 | -10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Magallanes bearers went from 8,852 to 7,990 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 284 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,012 to #4,296.
FAQ
Magallanes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Magallanes?
Name Census estimates that about 9,162 living Americans carry the surname Magallanes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 37,410 residents.
How common is Magallanes?
Magallanes ranks #4,296 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.67 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,990 people with the surname Magallanes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,162), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.67 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.67 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Magallanes.
Has Magallanes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Magallanes went from 8,852 recorded bearers to 7,990. That is a decrease of 862 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,012 to #4,296.
What does the Census say about the background of Magallanes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Magallanes, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%) and White (4.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Magallanes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (7,225 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Magallanes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (90.4%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.6%), White (4.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Magallanes (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Magallanes mean?
A habitational surname referring to someone from Magallanes, a region in the Philippines or Chile, or from Magallon, Spain. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Magallanes (2.67 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How common is the surname Magallanes?
Want to know how common the surname Magallanes is? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.