Roland
Roland is a masculine Frankish given name that is also used as a family name. Forms in other languages include: Orlando (Italian), Rolando, Roldán (Spanish), Lóránt and Loránd (Hungarian).
Meaning & Origin of Roland
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Roland is a masculine Frankish given name that is also used as a family name. Forms in other languages include: Orlando (Italian), Rolando, Roldán (Spanish), Lóránt and Loránd (Hungarian).
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Origin & history
The Story of Roland
Roland first appeared in U.S. Social Security Administration records as a baby boy name in 1880, with 36 babies given the name that year. Its peak popularity came in 1924, when 1,822 Rolands were born — ranking #98 that year. As of 2026, Roland ranks #683 for baby boys with 399 births, falling sharply (-16%). In total, more than 101K Rolands have been born in the U.S. since records began in 1880, spanning the 1880s through the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Roland
Phonetically similar names — useful when Roland is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Roland
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About the name Roland
Roland is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1880 and has accumulated 101K births in the dataset. Roland's peak popularity came in 1924 when it ranked #98. Use the chart and map above to compare Roland's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1924 →
- Names of the 1920s →
- Names starting with "R" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.