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Roland

Gender
Boy
Say it
ROH-land
Origin
Germanic
UK rank, 2025
#902 for boys
US rank, 2025
#607 for boys

Roland is a boys' name of Germanic origin, meaning “famous land”. In 2025 it ranked 902nd for boys in the UK (38 babies) and 607th for boys in the US (466 babies).

What does Roland mean?

Germanic: Germanic, via French

“famous land”

Hero of the medieval French epic The Song of Roland, a knight of Charlemagne killed at Roncevaux.

More on Wiktionary.

Is Roland a girl's or a boy's name?

Roland is a boys' name. In 2025, it was given to 38 boys in the UK and 466 boys in the US. Too few girls were given it to be listed.

How popular is Roland in the UK?

Rank in 2025
902nd among boys
Babies in 2025
38 about 1 in 7,900 boys
Five-year trend
Steady up 12% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 38 boys in the UK were named Roland, making it the 902nd most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 1,317th.

2025 had the most boys named Roland of any year since the records began in 1996.

Half of all the boys named Roland in the UK since 1996 were born between 2006 and 2021. It was already well used in 1996, when the records begin, so earlier boys aren't counted.

Among boys in 2025, it was 896th in England and Wales and 762nd in Scotland.

In the England and Wales top 100 for boys, which the ONS has published every ten years since 1904: 1904 (#80), 1914 (#83) and 1924 (#82).

1996Busiest: 38 in 20252025
Roland in the UK, year by year
YearBoysRank
202538#902
202425#1,198
202323#1,286
202226#1,157
202136#931
202021#1,317
201925#1,159
201831#1,017
201717#1,563
201625#1,195
201518#1,476
201425#1,162
201322#1,241
20125#3,572
201115#1,619
201016#1,585
200917#1,451
200812#1,810
200712#1,760
200616#1,369
200514#1,445
200410#1,688
20039#1,723
20028#1,728
200114#1,149
200011#1,308
199914#1,087
199811#1,259
199714#1,066
199618#852

How popular is Roland in the US?

Rank in 2025
607th among boys
Babies in 2025
466 about 1 in 3,700 boys
Five-year trend
Steady down 16% in five years
Same name in a class
under 1% chance among 15 boys

In 2025, 466 boys in the US were named Roland, making it the 607th most popular name for boys. Five years earlier, in 2020, it was 570th. Its busiest year was 1924, with 1,822 boys.

2025 had more boys named Roland than any year since 2020.

Half of all the boys named Roland in the US since 1880 were born between 1928 and 1966, the years shaded on the chart below.

In 2025, 482 boys in the US were given Roland or a name that sounds the same. With every name's spellings counted this way, that ranks #577, up from #607 for this spelling alone.

1880Busiest: 1,822 in 19242025
Roland in the US, year by year
YearBoysRank
2025466#607
2024413#663
2023414#662
2022461#608
2021405#668
2020490#570
2019538#532
2018514#545
2017534#530
2016510#562
2015471#588
2014438#610
2013360#669
2012313#740
2011302#751
2010290#769
2009304#752
2008296#754
2007301#743
2006265#782
2005277#729
2004236#767
2003249#730
2002238#735
2001242#722
2000257#687
1999255#666
1998252#677
1997254#648
1996315#578
1995286#604
1994324#570
1993332#557
1992358#535
1991359#533
1990379#506
1989405#470
1988435#432
1987408#439
1986379#444
1985413#421
1984432#394
1983404#406
1982421#401
1981455#378
1980478#365
1979466#371
1978485#348
1977472#363
1976512#336
1975513#338
1974517#337
1973561#312
1972579#317
1971640#306
1970739#285
1969770#268
1968799#253
1967800#250
1966880#238
1965933#244
19641,087#227
19631,069#230
19621,073#235
19611,132#236
19601,138#240
19591,159#235
19581,106#234
19571,210#216
19561,223#212
19551,267#202
19541,322#193
19531,281#191
19521,273#187
19511,295#184
19501,193#187
19491,221#175
19481,333#170
19471,434#166
19461,264#166
19451,184#158
19441,268#155
19431,384#150
19421,452#143
19411,286#144
19401,267#141
19391,329#131
19381,431#124
19371,317#126
19361,490#117
19351,486#119
19341,445#119
19331,474#114
19321,611#111
19311,697#107
19301,721#106
19291,730#104
19281,779#107
19271,713#109
19261,702#107
19251,785#98
19241,822#98
19231,678#104
19221,539#115
19211,630#107
19201,501#114
19191,355#119
19181,385#121
19171,285#117
19161,201#118
19151,137#118
1914882#121
1913611#128
1912522#126
1911230#146
1910191#162
1909153#162
1908156#151
1907132#165
1906125#156
1905143#147
1904139#142
1903107#162
1902115#153
1901113#145
1900133#156
1899101#150
189897#168
189792#167
189692#177
189597#160
189488#171
189391#160
189280#192
189169#184
189068#194
188960#211
188849#251
188749#224
188655#228
188548#237
188443#259
188336#275
188238#277
188130#289
188036#280

Nicknames for Roland

Names like Roland

Names given in the same years and the same naming tradition, with a similar sound.

Frederick, Albert, Alfred, Rupert, Henry, Wilfred, Leonard, Ralph, Edward, Arthur, Reginald, Louie

Other spellings of Roland

Rolland

Names related to Roland

Rowland, Ryland, Rolando, Rhyland

More Germanic names

Amelia, Liam, Charlotte, William, Archie, Charlie, Emma, Freddie, Ella, Harry, Millie, Albie, Matilda, Miles, Alice, Myles

Every Germanic name

Sources

Figures from Baby names in England and Wales (Office for National Statistics), Babies' first names (National Records of Scotland), Baby names (Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency) and Popular Baby Names (US Social Security Administration). Nameling last updated them on 20 October 2026. How the figures are worked out, and the data to download.

To cite this page: Nameling, “Roland: name meaning, origin and popularity”, https://www.nameling.co.uk/names/roland, updated 20 October 2026.