Roland

Meaning: Famous land
Origin: French (from Frankish via Old French)

Nicknames: Lanny, Rolly

Boy's name · #608 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Popularity over time

Roland holds its lane: charted since 1880 and rarely far from where it stands today (#608 in 2025). About 101,000 boys have carried it along the way. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Roland is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 36 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

See how Roland ranks in other countries and regions.

#65 in Hungary (2025) · #834 in Sweden (2025) · #909 in England & Wales (2025) · #926 in Scotland (2025) · #1,020 in Ireland (2025) · #1,684 in France (2025) · #1,727 in Austria (2025) · #2,562 in Switzerland (2025) · #826 in Canada (2024).

Famous Rolands

Roland Barthes — French philosopher and essayist
Roland Emmerich — German filmmaker (born 1955)
Roland — Frankish knight
Roland Garros — French aviator
Roland Freisler — German jurist and politician (1893–1945)

In stories & tradition

Roland Deschain — The Dark Tower (novel series)
Roland Glenn^nl — Prison Break (TV series)
Roland Daggett^simple — Batman: The Animated Series (TV series)

What Rolands become

Among 4,603 notable people named Roland:

Scientists & scholars appear 1.41× more often than among typical names — e.g. Roland Barthes, French philosopher and essayist.

Similar names: Rolando · Leonard · Royce · Jean · Rocco · Edmund

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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