Roland
Roland was the 608th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 466 babies. Its best year was 1924, when it ranked 98th with 1,822 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 20 places. More babies were named Roland in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Meaning famous land (Germanic) · Germanic, French
Say it ROH-lund /ˈroʊlənd/
- Rank in 2025
- #608 boys, down 38 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 466boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 19241,822 babies
- Total since 1880
- 101,191babies recorded
What does the name Roland mean?
Roland is a Germanic name that DMNES explains as hrōth or hruod, fame, plus lant, land. It reached English through Old French. Its popularity in the later Middle Ages came from Roland, the 8th-century Frankish commander and peer of Charlemagne, who, DMNES notes, appeared in some of the most widely spread courtly literature. Italian Orlando is the same name. Roland has been used in the US since 1880.
hruod (Old High German, “fame”)lant (Old High German, “land”)
How sure is this? Probable.
Related names: Rolando, Orlando, Rowland, Roly.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean fame.
Sources for this meaning
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Roland', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wiktionary, entry 'Roland' (English section), Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0; facts restated, no text reused)
- US Social Security Administration, national baby-name data 1880-2025 (yob*.txt), team3 computation of first year recorded, US Social Security Administration (public domain)
Nicknames for Roland
The usual nicknames for Roland are Rollo and Rolly.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rollo | Traditional | — | — |
| Rolly | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Rolands go by each one.
Roland popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 362 since 1915.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #608 | 466 |
| 2020 | #570 | 490 |
| 2010 | #771 | 290 |
| 2000 | #690 | 257 |
| 1990 | #507 | 379 |
| 1980 | #365 | 478 |
| 1970 | #286 | 739 |
| 1960 | #240 | 1,138 |
| 1950 | #187 | 1,193 |
| 1940 | #141 | 1,267 |
| 1930 | #107 | 1,721 |
| 1920 | #114 | 1,501 |
| 1910 | #163 | 191 |
| 1900 | #157 | 133 |
| 1890 | #198 | 68 |
| 1880 | #281 | 36 |
How popular is Roland, counting every spelling?
Roland is the most common spelling of a name family that ranked #588 for boys in 2025 once every spelling is counted together, compared with #608 for Roland on its own. Together these spellings went to 482 boys in 2025.
| Spelling | Babies 2025 | Official rank | Babies 2021–2025 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roland | 466 | #608 | 2,159 |
| Rowland | 16 | #5,798 | 107 |
Spellings count together when they sound the same in American English and are used for the same sex; nicknames and forms that sound different (such as Theo and Theodore) are kept apart. How we group spellings.
How many kids will share the name Roland?
466 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Roland (0.13 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Roland born in 2025, the chance that another child with the same name is in a class of 20 children the same age is under 1 in 50. If every grade liked the name as much as the 2025 babies do, only about one elementary school in 18 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Roland.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Roland?
About 44,700 people born in the US named Roland are alive today, with a median age of 58; half are between 33 and 72. That makes Roland a name most people associate with older generations. The wide spread shows a name popular in two different eras.
Babies given the name each year (SSA) times the share of that birth year still alive (SSA life tables). Counts people born in the US only. Method.
Roland by state
How common Roland was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Washington (2.0×), Oregon (1.9×), Minnesota (1.9×), Utah (1.7×), Colorado (1.6×). It is least common, relative to the national rate, in New Jersey, Mississippi, Nevada.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Roland: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Roland, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Roland · Sibling names for Roland
Questions about the name Roland
What does Roland mean?
Roland means “famous land (Germanic)” (Germanic, French origin). Certainty: probable.
How popular is the name Roland?
Roland was the 608th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 466 babies. Its best year was 1924, when it ranked 98th with 1,822 babies. Over the last ten years it has moved down 20 places. More babies were named Roland in the 1920s than in any other decade.
Is Roland a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Roland in the US.
Where is Roland most popular?
In 2021–2025, Roland was most common in Montana (0.68 per 1,000 boys), followed by Washington and Oregon.