Rolla
A feminine variant of the French name Rolande, of Germanic origin meaning "famous land".
Name Census estimates that about 238 living Americans carry the first name Rolla. It is a predominantly male name (95.3% of registrations). The average person named Rolla today is around 81 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rolla births was 1916 (45 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rolla. 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.
Key insights
- • Although Rolla is used almost entirely for boys, the SSA data does show 65 girls registered with the name since 1880.
- • The typical person named Rolla is about 81 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Rollas were born before 1955.
People living today
238
~ 1 in 1,440,144 Americans
Peak year
1916
45 babies that year
Average age
81
years old
1964 SSA rank
#3,955
Tracked since 1880
Gender
Gender distribution for Rolla
Rolla leans heavily male at 95.3% of total registrations, but 65 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Rolla as a male name
- Ranked #3,955 in 1964
- 6 male births in 1964
- Peak: 1916 (45 births)
Rolla as a female name
- Ranked #6,452 in 1954
- 5 female births in 1954
- Peak: 1928 (10 births)
Popularity
Rolla: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rolla from the 1880s through to the 1960s, spanning 9 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 325 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rolla 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 Rolla during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Rollas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 6 states and territories. Missouri, Illinois, Kansas recorded the most babies named Rolla, while Indiana, Iowa, West Virginia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 41 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rolla
The name Rolla is believed to have originated from the Latin word "rolla," which means "small roll" or "scroll." This name gained popularity during the Middle Ages in various parts of Europe, particularly in Italy and France.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rolla can be found in the historical records of the Italian city of Parma, where a nobleman named Rolla di Parma lived in the 12th century. He was a prominent figure in the city's political affairs and is mentioned in several chronicles from that era.
In the realm of literature, the name Rolla appeared in the 18th-century poem "The Pleasures of Hope" by Scottish poet Thomas Campbell. The poem featured a character named Rolla, a noble Peruvian warrior who fought against the Spanish conquistadors. This literary work helped to popularize the name in the English-speaking world.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Rolla. One of the most prominent was Rolla Norman Harger (1892-1984), an American professor of anatomy and physical anthropology at Western Reserve University. He made significant contributions to the study of human evolution and the origins of modern humans.
Another notable Rolla was Rolla Eugene Carpenter (1892-1972), an American lawyer and politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Texas from 1953 to 1963. He played a crucial role in shaping legislation related to agriculture and natural resources during his tenure.
In the realm of sports, Rolla Vollstedt (1899-1975) was a German-American football player and coach. He played professional football for the Chicago Cardinals and later became the head coach of the Oregon State University football team, leading them to several successful seasons in the 1930s.
Rolla Pruett Gamble (1900-1997) was an American author and historian who wrote extensively about the history of Texas and the American Southwest. His works, such as "The King Ranch" and "The Bonham Tradition," provided valuable insights into the region's rich cultural heritage.
Rolla Hinton (1858-1936) was a British artist and sculptor known for his realistic portraiture and allegorical works. His sculptures can be found in various public spaces and galleries across the United Kingdom, including the Tate Britain and the Royal Academy of Arts.
People
Rolla + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rolla 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
Rolla: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rolla?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 238 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rolla 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 1,440,144 US residents.
Is Rolla a common name?
We classify Rolla as "Very Rare". It ranks above 76.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,371 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rolla most popular?
The single biggest year for Rolla was 1916, when 45 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rolla is about 81 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Rolla a male name?
Yes, 95.3% of people registered as Rolla in the SSA data are male. 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.