Roul
A derived spelling of the French name Raoul, of Germanic origin.
Name Census estimates that about 4 living Americans carry the first name Roul. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Roul today is around 66 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Roul births was 1953 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Roul. 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
- • The typical person named Roul is about 66 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Rouls were born before 1970.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Roul. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
4
~ 1 in 85,688,585 Americans
Peak year
1953
5 babies that year
Average age
66
years old
1953 SSA rank
#4,258
Tracked since 1880
Origin
Meaning and history of Roul
The name Roul has its origins in the Germanic languages, derived from the Old Norse word "Hrōlf" or the Old High German "Hrōdolf," which means "famous wolf." This name was popular among the Vikings and other Germanic tribes during the Middle Ages.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Roul can be found in the Icelandic Sagas, where it was mentioned as the name of a legendary Norse warrior and explorer. In the Saga of Erik the Red, written in the 13th century, a character named Roul Floki is described as an early settler in Iceland.
The name Roul also appears in various medieval chronicles and records from across Europe. In the 11th century, a Norman nobleman named Roul de Gacé accompanied William the Conqueror during the Norman invasion of England in 1066. He is mentioned in the Domesday Book as holding lands in Hampshire and Wiltshire.
During the Crusades, a French knight named Roul de Soissons gained fame for his bravery and military exploits. He participated in the Third Crusade (1189-1192) and is recorded in the chronicles of the time as a close companion of King Richard the Lionheart.
In the 14th century, a Dutch philosopher and theologian named Roul Lefèvre gained prominence for his writings on metaphysics and natural philosophy. He was a professor at the University of Paris and is considered one of the earliest proponents of nominalism.
Another notable figure with the name Roul was Roul Wallenberg, a Swedish diplomat and humanitarian who played a crucial role in saving thousands of Hungarian Jews during the Holocaust in World War II. He was born in 1912 and disappeared in 1945 after being arrested by Soviet forces in Budapest.
These are just a few examples of historical figures who bore the name Roul, which has a rich heritage rooted in the Germanic cultures of medieval Europe and Scandinavia. The name's association with bravery, exploration, and intellect has contributed to its enduring appeal throughout the centuries.
Notable bearers
Famous people named Roul
People
Roul + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Roul 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
Roul: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Roul?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 4 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Roul 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 85,688,585 US residents.
Is Roul a common name?
We classify Roul as "Very Rare". It ranks above 6.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Roul most popular?
The single biggest year for Roul was 1953, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Roul is about 66 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Roul a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Roul 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.