Roland
Germanic name joining hrod, fame, with land, land or territory. The knight Roland of the Chanson de Roland carried it into wide European use.
Roland in 2025
Roland was given to 466 babies in the United States in 2025, making it the 1,235th most popular name of the year. That is roughly one in every 7,114 babies born.
The history of Roland
Roland reached its highest point in 1924, when 1,834 babies were given the name, ranking 244th that year. Its best-ever ranking was 239th, in 1929.
Across the 146 years of records since 1880, 101,191 babies have been named Roland. Half of them were born before 1945, which places the name's centre of gravity with the Silent Generation.
Roland by decade
| Decade | Babies named Roland | Best rank |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 444 | 510 |
| 1890s | 875 | 437 |
| 1900s | 1,316 | 409 |
| 1910s | 8,827 | 276 |
| 1920s | 16,977 | 239 |
| 1930s | 15,080 | 242 |
| 1940s | 13,114 | 302 |
| 1950s | 12,354 | 394 |
| 1960s | 9,719 | 499 |
| 1970s | 5,537 | 623 |
| 1980s | 4,250 | 811 |
| 1990s | 3,114 | 1,102 |
| 2000s | 2,665 | 1,543 |
| 2010s | 4,270 | 1,090 |
| 2020s | 2,649 | 1,164 |
Where Roland is heading
Roland has held roughly steady over the past decade, from 471 babies in 2015 to 466 in 2025.
Names like Roland
Names that rose and fell at the same time as Roland.