# Roland (first name)

Source: https://namelineage.com/first-name/roland/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. US counts from the Social Security Administration; England and Wales counts from the Office for National Statistics; meaning and etymology from Wiktionary. Data updated 2026-11-11.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Usually given to | boys |
| Origin | not recorded |
| Meaning | “fame-land” |
| Pronunciation | /ˈɹoʊlənd/, 2 syllables |
| Nicknames | Roll, Rolly, Roly, Lanny |
| Variant spellings | Rowland |
| US babies named this | 101,191 since 1880 |
| Boys / girls in the US | 100,829 / 362 (0% girls) |
| Babies in England and Wales | 530, 1996 to 2025 |

## Etymology

From Old French, from Frankish *Hrōþiland (literally “fame-land”). Name of a paladin of Charlemagne in medieval French romance. Doublet of Orlando.

## Popularity

The last 15 years of each series. A year is missing when too few babies were given the name for the agency to publish it: five in the US, three in England and Wales.

### United States, girls

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1960 | 5 | 7,107 |
| 1961 | 8 | 5,206 |
| 1964 | 9 | 4,919 |
| 1965 | 7 | 5,695 |
| 1966 | 9 | 4,783 |
| 1970 | 9 | 5,720 |
| 1971 | 10 | 5,433 |
| 1974 | 5 | 9,844 |
| 1976 | 8 | 7,110 |
| 1977 | 8 | 7,388 |
| 1978 | 6 | 9,438 |
| 1979 | 7 | 8,748 |
| 1981 | 5 | 11,720 |
| 1983 | 10 | 6,590 |
| 1987 | 5 | 12,771 |

### United States, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 302 | 751 |
| 2012 | 313 | 741 |
| 2013 | 360 | 670 |
| 2014 | 438 | 610 |
| 2015 | 471 | 588 |
| 2016 | 510 | 562 |
| 2017 | 534 | 530 |
| 2018 | 514 | 545 |
| 2019 | 538 | 532 |
| 2020 | 490 | 570 |
| 2021 | 405 | 668 |
| 2022 | 461 | 609 |
| 2023 | 414 | 662 |
| 2024 | 413 | 664 |
| 2025 | 466 | 608 |

### England and Wales, boys

| Year | Babies | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 15 | 1,522 |
| 2012 | 5 | 3,416 |
| 2013 | 21 | 1,183 |
| 2014 | 24 | 1,117 |
| 2015 | 18 | 1,380 |
| 2016 | 25 | 1,123 |
| 2017 | 17 | 1,470 |
| 2018 | 30 | 958 |
| 2019 | 22 | 1,189 |
| 2020 | 21 | 1,230 |
| 2021 | 35 | 871 |
| 2022 | 24 | 1,143 |
| 2023 | 22 | 1,243 |
| 2024 | 25 | 1,132 |
| 2025 | 35 | 896 |

## In other languages

- Chinese: 羅蘭 /罗兰
- Czech: Roland
- Estonian: Roland
- French: Roland
- Georgian: როლანდი
- German: Roland
- Greek: Ρολάνδος
- Hungarian: Roland, Lóránt
- Italian: Rolando, Orlando
- Latvian: Rolands
- Polish: Roland
- Portuguese: Rolando, Orlando
- Spanish: Rolando
- Swedish: Roland

## People named Roland

- Roland Barthes, French philosopher and essayist (1915–1980)
- Roland Emmerich, German filmmaker (born 1955)
- Roland, Frankish knight
- Roland Ratzenberger, Austrian racing driver (1960–1994)
- Roland Freisler, German jurist and politician (1893–1945)
- Roland Joffé, English and French film/television director and producer
- Roland Juhász, football player
- Roland Topor, French writer, screenwriter, actor and painter (1938-1997)
- Roland Linz, Austrian association football player
- Rahsaan Roland Kirk, American musician (1935-1977)
- Roland Petit, French ballet dancer and choreographer (1924–2011)
- Roland Burris, American politician and attorney

## How to read these numbers

A count is babies registered with that name in that year, not people alive now, so a name common a century ago can have a large total and few recent births.