Rolando
Rolando is a Spanish, Italian and Portuguese variant of Roland, the Frankish military hero who served under Charlemagne and whose life became the basis for the medieval French epic Chanson de Roland and various other works of European literature. The name appears most frequently as a Spanish given name.
- Spanish
- Italian
- Portuguese
Meaning & Origin of Rolando
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Rolando is a Spanish, Italian and Portuguese variant of Roland, the Frankish military hero who served under Charlemagne and whose life became the basis for the medieval French epic Chanson de Roland and various other works of European literature. The name appears most frequently as a Spanish given name.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- Spanish
- Italian
- Portuguese
The Story of Rolando
American parents first put Rolando on the record books as a baby boy name in 1916, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1994, when 473 Rolandos were born — ranking #463 that year. As of 2026, Rolando ranks #1,264 for baby boys with 157 births, gradually falling (-9%). All told, over 25K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Rolando
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Rolando. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
- Orlando
- Roldán
- Roldão
Names that sound like Rolando
Phonetically similar names — useful when Rolando 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 Rolando
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About the name Rolando
Rolando is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1916 and has accumulated 25K births in the dataset. Rolando's peak popularity came in 1994 when it ranked #373. Use the chart and map above to compare Rolando's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1994 →
- Names of the 1990s →
- Names starting with "R" →
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- 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.