Roland

Did you know?

A few things about Roland you might not know, from US birth records and Wikipedia. Handy for convincing a partner, or a grandparent.

⭐ Famous Roland

Roland Barthes

French philosopher and essayist (1915–1980)

Choose Roland and your child shares a first name with Roland Barthes, a French philosopher and essayist. A ready-made answer when someone asks “Roland, like who?” Roland Barthes's Wikipedia article is available in 84 languages, a good sign of just how widely known they are.

Read about Roland Barthes on Wikipedia ↗ (opens in a new tab)

Photo: Unknown, Public domain (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons

• 👶How commonAbout 1 in every 3,666 baby boys born in the US in 2025 was named Roland, 466 babies in all. In a typical school of 500 kids, your Roland would very likely be the only one.
• 📜HistoryRoland has been in use since at least 1880, the first year US birth records were kept. That's 145 years of Rolands, and counting.
• 🏆Best yearIt was far more popular in 1925, when it ranked #98. Today it's #607, so it could be due a comeback.
• 📈Then vs nowRoland is 2.1× more common today than it was in 2000. In 2000 it was given to about 1 in 7,639 baby boys; in 2025, about 1 in 3,666.
• 🍂TrendRoland has slipped 37 places over the last five years and now sits at #607. Good news if you want a familiar name that fewer kids will share.
• 📍Where it's lovedRoland is most popular in Maine, where it ranks #172, followed by Wisconsin (#355) and Utah (#378). It's in the top 1,000 in 29 states.
• 💬MeaningIn Germanic, Roland means “famous land”.

About the name Roland

Roland is a boy name meaning “famous land”. It has 6 letters and 2 syllables, starting with R and ending in “-and”. US birth records list Roland for boys from 1880 to 2025, in 146 of those 146 years. Its best year was 1925, when it ranked #98 among boy names. In 2025 it ranked #607, with 466 babies.