2000
#3,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,168
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.77
Uncommon Last name
Roldan
A Spanish habitational surname indicating one who came from a place called Roldán, likely derived from a Germanic name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 15,734 Americans carry the last name Roldan. That puts it at #2,574 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.59 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 21,784 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Roldan surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
16K
1 in 21,784
Census rank
#2,574
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
14K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 13,721 bearers of the surname Roldan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.59 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2574th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Roldan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.4%) and White (6.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Roldan
The surname Roldan is of Spanish origin, derived from the personal name Roldán, which is itself a Spanish adaptation of the Old French name Rollant. The name Rollant stems from the Germanic elements "hrod" meaning "fame" and "land" meaning "territory" or "land."
This surname has its roots in the medieval era and is associated with the legendary figure of Roland, a Frankish military leader who served under Charlemagne in the 8th century. Roland was celebrated in the famous medieval French epic poem "La Chanson de Roland" (The Song of Roland), which recounts his exploits and heroic death during the Battle of Roncesvalles in 778 AD.
One of the earliest recorded references to the surname Roldan can be found in the Libro de Repartimiento de Sevilla, a historical document from the 13th century that recorded the distribution of land and properties in the city of Seville after its conquest by the Christian forces in 1248. This document mentions individuals with the surname Roldan among the settlers who received plots of land in the region.
In the 14th century, a prominent figure bearing the surname Roldan was Pedro Roldan, a Spanish conquistador and explorer who participated in the conquest of Cuba and was appointed as the first lieutenant governor of the island by Diego Velázquez in 1511.
During the 16th century, another notable individual with the surname Roldan was Juan Roldan, a Spanish soldier and explorer who accompanied Hernán Cortés in the conquest of Mexico. He was involved in the conquest of Tenochtitlan and later led an unsuccessful rebellion against Cortés in 1520.
In the realm of literature, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Roldan was Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600-1681), a celebrated Spanish playwright and poet of the Golden Age, who wrote numerous works, including the famous play "La vida es sueño" (Life is a Dream).
Another notable figure with the surname Roldan was Tomás Roldan y Viñolas (1788-1853), a Spanish painter and engraver who was a prominent representative of the Neoclassical and Romantic movements in Spanish art.
The surname Roldan has also been associated with various place names in Spain, such as the town of Roldán in the province of Seville, which likely derived its name from individuals bearing this surname who settled in the area during the Reconquista.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roldan
Among Census respondents with the surname Roldan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.4%) and White (6.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Roldan bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Roldan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino84.2% · 11,557
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.4% · 1,012
- White6.1% · 833
- Two or more races1.2% · 162
- Black or African American0.9% · 125
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 32
Timeline
Historical Census data for Roldan
Roldan appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#2,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,498
+3,330 bearers (+32.7%)
Per 100,000 4.58
Rank movement Up 549 places
2020
#2,574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,721
+223 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 4.59
Rank movement Up 97 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,220 | 10,168 | 3.77 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,671 | 13,498 | 4.58 | +3,330 bearers (+32.7%) | Up 549 places |
| 2020 | #2,574 | 13,721 | 4.59 | +223 bearers (+1.7%) | Up 97 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Roldan surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #2,671 | #2,574 | 3.6% |
| Count | 13,498 | 13,721 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 4.58 | 4.59 | 0.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Roldan bearers went from 13,498 to 13,721 (+1.7% change). The surname moved up 97 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,671 to #2,574.
FAQ
Roldan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Roldan?
Name Census estimates that about 15,734 living Americans carry the surname Roldan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 21,784 residents.
How common is Roldan?
Roldan ranks #2,574 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.59 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 13,721 people with the surname Roldan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (15,734), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.59 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.59 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Roldan.
Has Roldan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Roldan went from 13,498 recorded bearers to 13,721. That is an increase of 223 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #2,671 to #2,574.
What does the Census say about the background of Roldan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Roldan, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 84.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (7.4%) and White (6.1%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Roldan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.2% (11,557 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Roldan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (84.2%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.4%), White (6.1%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Roldan (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Roldan mean?
A Spanish habitational surname indicating one who came from a place called Roldán, likely derived from a Germanic name. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Roldan (4.59 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Roldan?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.