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Roland

German
"famous throughout the land"
Brynn McKeon
By Brynn McKeon
Updated Tue Sep 30 2025

Roland Origin and Meaning

The name Roland is a boy's name of German origin meaning "famous throughout the land".

Roland is a chivalrous old name made famous by the supposedly eight-foot-tall romantic hero and nephew of Charlemagne, celebrated in medieval poetry and song. It is more widely heard in the US now in its Spanish form, Rolando. You might want to consider rollicking short form Rollo, either on its own or as an abbreviation of Roland. Orlando is the graceful Italian form.

Like other vintage names (Roland was a a Top 100 name in the 1920s), Roland has been fashionable of late.

# 663 in the US

Roland Rank in US Top 1000

# 439 on Nameberry

Roland Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Popularity of the name Roland

20 Names Similar to Roland

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Roland.

Famous People Named Roland

  • Roland Gérard Barthes
    French literary theorist
  • Roland Jaime Orzabal (de la Quintana)
    British singer of band Tears for Fears
  • Roland Emmerich
    German film director
  • Roland "Champ" Bailey
    American football player
  • Roland Sato Lee Page aka Yung Ro
    American rapper
  • Roland Doré
    French sculptor
  • Roland Leighton
    English poet

The name Roland in Pop Culture

  • Roland Deschain
    anti hero of Stephen King's "Dark Tower" series
  • Roland Daggett
    character in DC comics
  • Roland Burton
    character on TV's Army Wives
  • Roland Jackson
    character in animated TV show Extreme Ghostbusters
  • Roland LeBay
    character in Stephen King's "Christine"
  • Roland
    character in The Matrix films
  • Roland
    Character in Catherine Jink's "Pagan" chronicals
  • King Roland II
    character animated TV series "Sofia the First"
  • Roland Rat
    British puppet TV character
  • Roland
    dwarf "cousin" of Sabrina in "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" TV show
  • Roland
    son of Robin Hood and Maid Marian on TV's Once Upon a Time
  • Roland Sparks
    a main character and fallen angel in the 'Fallen' series (Lauren Kate)
  • Roland Inness
    main character in the Longbow Series (Wayne Grant)
  • Roland Hallivard
    character in the "Throne of Glass" book series by Sarah J. Maas
  • "Roland
    " series of video games and their main character
  • Roland
    character in video game Borderlands
  • Roland
    Ginger’s father, character in Ginger and Rosa

International Variations of the name Roland

  • Rolando
    Portuguese
  • Roeland
    Dutch
  • Roel
    Dutch
  • Loránd
    Hungarian
  • Orlando
    Italian
  • Rolan
    Russian
  • Rolle
    Swedish

The name Roland in Nameberry Blog Posts