Portuguese navigator in the service of Spain; he commanded an expedition that was the first to circumnavigate the world (1480-1521)
"Magellan led the historic voyage that became the first to sail completely around the globe."
A surname.
"The Magellan expedition was led by Ferdinand Magellan, whose surname is now famously associated with his voyage."
The name entered English as a borrowing from New Latin Magellanus, which itself was a Latinized version of the original Portuguese surname Magalhães. It refers to Ferdinand Magellan, the explorer who led the first expedition to circumnavigate the globe.