Rolanda
Of French origin meaning "fame is rolling (spreading)".
Name Census estimates that about 2,983 living Americans carry the first name Rolanda. It is a predominantly female name (99.1% of registrations). The average person named Rolanda today is around 51 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rolanda births was 1971 (176 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rolanda. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
3.0K
~ 1 in 114,903 Americans
Peak year
1971
176 babies that year
Average age
51
years old
1991 SSA rank
#9,331
Tracked since 1944
Gender
Gender distribution for Rolanda
Out of the 3,417 babies given the name Rolanda since 1880, 99.1% were registered as female. The name sits firmly on the female side of the spectrum, with only a handful of male registrations across the entire dataset.
Rolanda as a male name
- Ranked #9,331 in 1991
- 5 male births in 1991
- Peak: 1989 (6 births)
Rolanda as a female name
- Ranked #16,039 in 2015
- 6 female births in 2015
- Peak: 1971 (176 births)
Popularity
Rolanda: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rolanda from the 1940s through to the 2010s, spanning 8 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1970s, with 1,248 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1970s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rolanda by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Rolanda during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rolandas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 25 states and territories. Texas, New York, Illinois recorded the most babies named Rolanda, while New Jersey, Indiana, Arkansas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 57 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rolanda
The name Rolanda is a feminine given name derived from the Germanic elements "hrod" meaning "fame" and "lind" meaning "tender" or "soft". It is related to the masculine name Roland, which can be traced back to the Frankish military leader Roland, a central figure in the medieval French epic La Chanson de Roland.
Rolanda is believed to have its origins in medieval France and Germany, where variations like Rollande, Rolande, and Rolenda were used. The name gained popularity across Europe during the Middle Ages, likely influenced by the legendary Roland's heroic role in the Carolingian campaigns against the Moors in the 8th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rolanda appears in the 12th century Codex Calixtinus, a medieval manuscript associated with the pilgrimage route to Santiago de Compostela. The codex mentions a woman named Rolanda among the list of pilgrims who traveled to the shrine.
In the 13th century, a Rolanda de Villanova was recorded as a notable physician and alchemist from the Kingdom of Aragon. She is believed to have authored several medical treatises and contributed to the development of early chemical practices.
During the Renaissance period, Rolanda Gamba (1492-1549) was an Italian painter and engraver from Venice. She is known for her intricate engravings depicting religious and mythological scenes, and her works were highly influential in the Venetian art world of the time.
In the 17th century, Rolanda Deluil (1610-1680) was a French actress and playwright who performed with the famous Comédie des Italiens troupe in Paris. She wrote several comedic plays that were popular during the reign of Louis XIV.
Another notable figure was Rolanda Stevenson (1888-1962), a British suffragette and activist who campaigned for women's right to vote in the early 20th century. She was arrested multiple times for her involvement in protests and hunger strikes.
People
Rolanda + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rolanda as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Rolanda: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rolanda?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 2,983 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rolanda going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 114,903 US residents.
Is Rolanda a common name?
We classify Rolanda as "Rare". It ranks above 95.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 3,417 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rolanda most popular?
The single biggest year for Rolanda was 1971, when 176 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rolanda is about 51 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rolanda a female name?
Yes, 99.1% of people registered as Rolanda in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.