Meaning and background
The story behind Magellan
Magellan is the English form associated with explorer Fernão de Magalhães. Behind the Name explicitly connects it with Magalhães, whose surname points to minor Portuguese places and has only a possible deeper Celtic origin. The exploration association and the surname formation are distinct. A dog named Magellan can honour the explorer while retaining the uncertainty behind the older place name instead of receiving a fabricated voyage-related translation.
- Origin
- Anglicized Magalhães referring to the explorer; the linked Portuguese surname is place-based, with uncertain deeper origin. Source · Source 2
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About Magellan
Recorded as a dog’s name
Magellan appears in 2 dog licence records in the 2022 New York City dataset.
How to read this count
These records cover New York City and may count the same dog in more than one licence period. They are not a national popularity ranking.
Pronunciation and rhythm
/mədʒɛlən/
US English sound sequence, converted from the CMU dictionary. Stress marks are shown separately.
Stress on the second syllable in the recorded US readings.
View dictionary notation
/mədʒɛlən/ · primary stress on syllable 2M AH0 JH EH1 L AH0 N
These are US dictionary readings. Personal, regional and other language pronunciations may differ.
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Sources and research notes (2)
- New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene NYC Dog Licensing Dataset — all seven available extract years, retrieved 24 October 2026 — Recorded name spellings in NYC licence-period rows, extract years 2016–2018, 2022–2024 and 2026. Evidence selects one stated year per name. Annual snapshots overlap; never sum them as unique dogs. No national popularity, etymology or owner naming-intent claim.
- Carnegie Mellon University / CMU Sphinx maintainers CMU US English Pronouncing Dictionary — US English dictionary readings; not owner-specific or exhaustive multilingual pronunciation
References support the individual facts shown. A source link does not mean the entire profile has been verified.