Rolando
Rolando was the 1374th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 135 babies. Its best year was 1980, when it ranked 374th; the most babies were born in 1994 (473). Over the last ten years it has moved down 421 places. More babies were named Rolando in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Meaning "famous land" · Spanish, Italian, Germanic
Say it roh-LAHN-doh /roʊˈlɑndoʊ/
- Rank in 2025
- #1,374 boys, down 166 places since 2020
- Babies in 2025
- 135boys
- Girls and boys
- Almost always a boy’s name2021–2025
- Peak year
- 1994473 babies
- Total since 1880
- 24,516babies recorded
What does the name Rolando mean?
Rolando is the Spanish, Italian and Portuguese form of Roland, a Germanic name made of hrōþ, "fame", and land, "land". DMNES notes that its medieval popularity came from Roland, Charlemagne's legendary paladin in the Song of Roland; Orlando is the related Italian form. In the US Rolando was most common in the 1980s and 1990s.
hruod (Old High German, “fame”)lant (Old High German, “land”)
How sure is this? Well established.
Related names: Roland, Orlando, Rowland, Roldán.
See also: Germanic names, names that mean fame.
Sources for this meaning
- Wiktionary, entry 'Rolando', Wiktionary (Wikimedia Foundation)
- Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, ed. S. L. Uckelman, Edition 2023 no. 1, s.v. 'Roland', DMNES (Durham University)
- Wikipedia, 'Rolando (given name)', Wikipedia (Wikimedia Foundation)
Nicknames for Rolando
The usual nicknames for Rolando are Roly.
| Nickname | Kind | Rank 2025 | Boys, 5 years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Roly | Traditional | — | — |
Nicknames reviewed by our editors; counts are boys given the nickname as their legal first name. Nobody records how many Rolandos go by each one.
Rolando popularity since 1880
A few girls are given the name too: 78 since 1967.
| Year | Rank (boys) | Babies (boys) |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #1,374 | 135 |
| 2020 | #1,208 | 157 |
| 2010 | #722 | 319 |
| 2000 | #521 | 430 |
| 1990 | #496 | 386 |
| 1980 | #374 | 459 |
| 1970 | #454 | 323 |
| 1960 | #481 | 271 |
| 1950 | #794 | 74 |
| 1940 | #1,248 | 30 |
| 1930 | #2,754 | 10 |
| 1920 | #4,847 | 5 |
| 1910 | — | — |
| 1900 | — | — |
| 1890 | — | — |
| 1880 | — | — |
How popular is Rolando, counting every spelling?
Rolando has no other common spelling that sounds the same. Counting every name's spellings together, it ranks #1,310 for boys in 2025, against #1,374 on the official list.
How many kids will share the name Rolando?
135 of the 3,606,400 babies born in the US in 2025 were named Rolando (0.04 per 1,000 births). For a boy named Rolando 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 62 (of 430 pupils) would have a child named Rolando.
Shares of all registered births (NCHS); classes assumed to be children born the same year. How we estimate this.
How old are people named Rolando?
About 22,000 people born in the US named Rolando are alive today, with a median age of 36; half are between 22 and 50. That makes Rolando mostly worn by adults in their thirties to fifties.
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.
Rolando by state
How common Rolando was among boys born in each state in 2021–2025. It is notably more common than nationally in Texas (4.0×). In 40 states fewer than five boys a year got the name, too few for SSA to publish, so those states show as zero.
Names with a similar history
These names rose and fell in step with Rolando: their share of US boys followed the most similar curve since 1880. If you like Rolando, they share its era and feel.
Middle names for Rolando · Sibling names for Rolando
Questions about the name Rolando
What does Rolando mean?
Rolando means “"famous land"” (Spanish, Italian, Germanic origin). Certainty: well established.
How popular is the name Rolando?
Rolando was the 1374th most popular name for boys in 2025, given to 135 babies. Its best year was 1980, when it ranked 374th; the most babies were born in 1994 (473). Over the last ten years it has moved down 421 places. More babies were named Rolando in the 1980s than in any other decade.
Is Rolando a boy or girl name?
In 2021–2025, almost always a boy’s name given the name Rolando in the US.
Where is Rolando most popular?
In 2021–2025, Rolando was most common in Texas (0.36 per 1,000 boys), followed by California and Florida.