boys' name ★ peaked 1924

Roland

Meaning fame-land Gender Boy Rank 2025 #608 Trend ↓ Falling 13%

From Old French, from Frankish *Hrōþiland (literally “fame-land”).

Rank 2025
#608
among boys · ↑56 vs 2024
Babies in 2025
466
named Roland · +13% vs 2024
How common
1 in 3,665
boys born in 2025
Peak year
1924
1,834 babies
All-time total
101,191
#315 all-time among boys
First recorded
1880
in Social Security records

Roland popularity over time

101,191 babies have been named Roland since 1880, according to official Social Security records. Switch measure to see births per year or the yearly rank.

Measure
Births per 1,000 babies of that sex, comparable across eras
0.511.5218801900192019401960198020002020BoysGirls
BoysGirls

By decade. Change compares yearly averages, so the current partial decade is on equal footing. Best rank is the name's best yearly rank within the decade.

Decade Girls Boys Total Per year Change Best rank
1880s – 444 444 44 – #216
1890s – 875 875 88 +97% #152
1900s – 1,316 1,316 132 +50% #142
1910s 28 8,799 8,827 883 +571% #117
1920s 98 16,879 16,977 1,698 +92% #98
1930s 79 15,001 15,080 1,508 -11% #107
1940s 21 13,093 13,114 1,311 -13% #141
1950s 25 12,329 12,354 1,235 -6% #184
1960s 38 9,681 9,719 972 -21% #227
1970s 53 5,484 5,537 554 -43% #286
1980s 20 4,230 4,250 425 -23% #365
1990s – 3,114 3,114 311 -27% #507
2000s – 2,665 2,665 267 -14% #690
2010s – 4,270 4,270 427 +60% #530
2020s (to 2025) – 2,649 2,649 442 +3% #570

Where Roland is heading

A five-year projection from the recent trend in births per 1,000 boys (damped so it flattens over time), converted to babies at today's birth totals. The implied rank places that projection in the 2025 field. A projection, not a promise: real trends bend.

Year Projected babies Per 1,000 boys Implied rank
2026 458 0.27 outside top 500
2027 451 0.26 outside top 500
2028 446 0.26 outside top 500
2029 441 0.26 outside top 500
2030 437 0.26 outside top 500

Where Roland is most popular

Boys named Roland per 1,000 boys born in each state, 2021–2025. National average: 0.250 per 1,000. Strongest in Montana, Washington, and Oregon.

Vs national average
well below below near national above well above no data

All 50 states and DC, sorted by rate. Counts are boys named Roland born 2021–2025; the per-1,000 rate makes states of different sizes comparable, and the last column shows each state against the national average.

State Boys 2021–2025 Per 1,000 vs national
Montana 12 0.680 +172%
Washington 81 0.495 +98%
Oregon 36 0.474 +90%
Minnesota 58 0.473 +89%
Alaska 5 0.420 +68%
Utah 40 0.419 +68%
Colorado 53 0.411 +64%
Michigan 83 0.405 +62%
Wisconsin 47 0.397 +59%
Arkansas 25 0.395 +58%
Missouri 53 0.382 +53%
Virginia 71 0.374 +50%
Kentucky 37 0.369 +47%
Iowa 25 0.363 +45%
Maine 7 0.361 +44%
Alabama 39 0.357 +43%
Indiana 52 0.324 +30%
Maryland 38 0.319 +27%
Tennessee 56 0.310 +24%
North Carolina 78 0.305 +22%
North Dakota 5 0.293 +17%
Kansas 20 0.292 +17%
Ohio 73 0.275 +10%
Idaho 11 0.269 +8%
Georgia 68 0.268 +7%
Arizona 42 0.257 ≈ national
Pennsylvania 67 0.252 ≈ national
Illinois 63 0.247 ≈ national
Texas 210 0.238 -5%
California 197 0.216 -14%
Massachusetts 29 0.211 -16%
Florida 93 0.196 -21%
New York 75 0.173 -31%
Oklahoma 15 0.170 -32%
South Carolina 17 0.165 -34%
Louisiana 16 0.156 -37%
Nebraska 6 0.138 -45%
Nevada 7 0.123 -51%
Mississippi 5 0.088 -65%
New Jersey 11 0.055 -78%
Connecticut – – –
District of Columbia – – –
Delaware – – –
Hawaii – – –
New Hampshire – – –
New Mexico – – –
Rhode Island – – –
South Dakota – – –
Vermont – – –
West Virginia – – –
Wyoming – – –

State counts come from the Social Security Administration's state files, which omit any state-year with fewer than five babies of a name, so small states can undercount slightly.

The story of Roland

Roland is uncommon for boys in the United States, ranked #608 in 2025 with 466 babies given the name. It is currently holding steady compared with a decade ago.

Since 1880, 101,191 American babies have been named Roland. Its peak came in 1924, when 1,834 newborns received the name, the signature sound of the 1920s.

The chart above shows the full history: the popularity view (births per 1,000 babies) is the honest comparison across generations, since total US births have changed enormously since 1880. Switch to the rank view to see where Roland stood among all boys' names in any year, or use the compare tool to plot it against other names.

How old are people named Roland?

The median living Roland is about 59 years old; half are between 34 and 72. An estimated 48 thousand people named Roland are alive in the United States today.

median 59 020406080100

Estimated from births per year and Social Security period life tables; an approximation of the living age distribution, by age in years.

Roland year by year

Every year since 2001, and five-year steps back to 1880. Rank is within each sex.

Year Girls Girls rank Boys Boys rank
2025 – – 466 #608
2024 – – 413 #664
2023 – – 414 #662
2022 – – 461 #609
2021 – – 405 #668
2020 – – 490 #570
2019 – – 538 #532
2018 – – 514 #545
2017 – – 534 #530
2016 – – 510 #562
2015 – – 471 #588
2014 – – 438 #610
2013 – – 360 #670
2012 – – 313 #741
2011 – – 302 #751
2010 – – 290 #771
2009 – – 304 #753
2008 – – 296 #754
2007 – – 301 #745
2006 – – 265 #783
2005 – – 277 #732
2004 – – 236 #772
2003 – – 249 #733
2002 – – 238 #736
2001 – – 242 #725
2000 – – 257 #690
1995 – – 286 #606
1990 – – 379 #507
1985 – – 413 #421
1980 – – 478 #365
1975 – – 513 #338
1970 9 #5,720 739 #286
1965 7 #5,695 933 #244
1960 5 #7,107 1,138 #240
1955 8 #4,661 1,267 #202
1950 – – 1,193 #187
1945 – – 1,184 #158
1940 5 #4,903 1,267 #141
1935 – – 1,486 #119
1930 9 #3,287 1,721 #107
1925 7 #4,364 1,785 #98
1920 – – 1,501 #114
1915 5 #4,839 1,137 #118
1910 – – 191 #163
1905 – – 143 #147
1900 – – 133 #157
1895 – – 97 #161
1890 – – 68 #198
1885 – – 48 #239
1880 – – 36 #281

Famous people named Roland

The most globally famous bearers of the name, ranked by fame across Wikipedia editions (Pantheon project, MIT).

  1. 1 Roland Orzabal Roland Orzabal English musician, singer-songwriter, and record producer (born 1961) Contemporary
  2. 2 Roland Emmerich Roland Emmerich German-American filmmaker (born 1955) Contemporary
  3. 3 Roland Ratzenberger Roland Ratzenberger Austrian racing driver (1960–1994) Contemporary
  4. 4 Roland Freisler Roland Freisler German jurist (1893–1945) 19th century
  5. 5 Roland Barthes Roland Barthes French philosopher and essayist (1915–1980) Contemporary
  6. 6 Roland Roland Frankish military leader under Charlemagne 736–778 · Medieval
  7. 7 Roland Garros Roland Garros 20th-century early French pilot 1888–1918 · 19th century
  8. 8 Roland Joffé Roland Joffé English film director and producer (born 1945) Contemporary
  9. 9 Roland Sallai Roland Sallai Hungarian footballer (born 1997) Contemporary
  10. 10 Roland Burris Roland Burris American politician and attorney (born 1937) Contemporary
  11. 11 Roland Young Roland Young English-born actor (1887–1953) 19th century
  12. 12 Roland Grapow Roland Grapow German guitarist and producer (born 1959) Contemporary
  13. 13 Roland Topor Roland Topor French writer, screenwriter, actor and painter 1938–1997 · Contemporary
  14. 14 Roland Bonaparte Roland Bonaparte French geographer, astronomer and anthropologist (1858–1924) 19th century
  15. 15 Roland Nilsson Roland Nilsson Swedish footballer and manager b. 1963 · Contemporary
  16. 16 Roland Petit Roland Petit French ballet dancer and choreographer (1924–2011) Contemporary
  17. 17 Roland Dumas Roland Dumas French lawyer and politician (1922–2024) Contemporary
  18. 18 Roland Wohlfarth German footballer (born 1963) Contemporary
  19. 19 Roland Moreno Roland Moreno French inventor, engineer, and author 1945–2012 · Contemporary
  20. 20 Roland Matthes Roland Matthes German swimmer (1950–2019) Contemporary

Portraits from Wikipedia (Wikimedia Commons).

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers about Roland, drawn from the same Social Security data as the charts above.

How old is the average Roland?

The median living Roland is about 59 years old. Half of all living Rolands are between 34 and 72 years old.

How many people named Roland are alive today?

An estimated 48 thousand people named Roland are alive in the United States, based on 101,191 recorded births and Social Security life tables.

What does the name Roland mean?

From Old French, from Frankish *Hrōþiland (literally “fame-land”).

How popular is the name Roland in 2025?

Roland ranked #608 among boys' names in the United States in 2025, with 466 babies given the name, according to Social Security Administration data.

How many people are named Roland?

101,191 babies have been named Roland in the United States since 1880, based on Social Security card applications.

When was the name Roland most popular?

Roland peaked in 1924, when 1,834 newborns received the name.

Is Roland a boy or girl name?

Roland is overwhelmingly a boy's name: 100% of babies with the name.

Is the name Roland rising or falling?

Roland has been roughly stable over the past decade.

Will Roland become more popular?

Roland is trending downward. If the recent trend holds, we project roughly 437 boys named Roland in 2030, which would rank outside the top 500. Forecasts assume the current trend continues and become less certain further out.

Who are famous people named Roland?

Well-known people named Roland include Roland Orzabal (singer), Roland Emmerich (film director), Roland Ratzenberger (racing driver).

Names like Roland

Names that sound and feel close to Roland: shared sounds, similar era, similar popularity. Each links to its full history.

Compare Roland with similar names → More names starting with R →