2000
#10,369
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,847
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.06
Rare Last name
Rolland
A surname of French origin referring to someone who lived near or worked with wheels or wagons.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,171 Americans carry the last name Rolland. That puts it at #10,988 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 108,090 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Rolland 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Rolland with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
3.2K
1 in 108,090
Census rank
#10,988
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,765 bearers of the surname Rolland in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10988th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Rolland, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.3%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Rolland
The surname Rolland is of French origin, derived from the Old French word "rolant," meaning "famous land" or "celebrated land." It is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century in the northern regions of France, particularly in Normandy and Brittany.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rolland can be found in the Domesday Book, a great survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Rollandus" and "Rolland," referring to individuals living in various parts of the country.
During the Middle Ages, the name Rolland was often associated with landowners or individuals who possessed significant estates or properties. This connection to land ownership likely contributed to the name's prestige and its adoption by noble families.
In the 14th century, a notable figure bearing the name Rolland was Jean Rolland (c. 1320-1392), a French jurist and chancellor of the University of Paris. He played a crucial role in the development of French jurisprudence during the latter part of the Hundred Years' War.
Another prominent individual with the surname Rolland was Étienne Rolland (1545-1603), a French lawyer and politician who served as the Lieutenant Civil of Paris from 1597 to 1603. He was known for his role in the Catholic League during the French Wars of Religion.
In the 18th century, Philippe Rolland (1746-1803) was a French painter and engraver who gained recognition for his portraits and historical paintings. He was a member of the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture and received commissions from the French royal court.
During the 19th century, Romain Rolland (1866-1944) was a renowned French novelist, dramatist, and art historian. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1915 for his novel "Jean-Christophe," which explored the life of a fictional German composer. Rolland was also a pacifist and a supporter of the Indian independence movement, maintaining a close friendship with Mahatma Gandhi.
In more recent times, the name Rolland has been associated with various figures from different fields, including actors, writers, and athletes. However, as per the instructions, this report focuses primarily on the historical origins and notable individuals with the surname Rolland from earlier periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Rolland
Among Census respondents with the surname Rolland, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.3%) and Two or More Races (5.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Rolland 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 Rolland surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.1% · 1,799
- Black or African American23.3% · 643
- Two or more races5.6% · 154
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 103
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.6% · 43
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 23
Timeline
Historical Census data for Rolland
Rolland 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
#10,103
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,188
+341 bearers (+12.0%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Up 266 places
2020
#10,988
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,765
-423 bearers (-13.3%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 885 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,369 | 2,847 | 1.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,103 | 3,188 | 1.08 | +341 bearers (+12.0%) | Up 266 places |
| 2020 | #10,988 | 2,765 | 0.93 | -423 bearers (-13.3%) | Down 885 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 Rolland 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 | #10,103 | #10,988 | -8.8% |
| Count | 3,188 | 2,765 | -13.3% |
| Per 100K | 1.08 | 0.93 | -14.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Rolland bearers went from 3,188 to 2,765 (-13.3% change). The surname moved down 885 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,103 to #10,988.
FAQ
Rolland surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Rolland?
Name Census estimates that about 3,171 living Americans carry the surname Rolland. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 108,090 residents.
How common is Rolland?
Rolland ranks #10,988 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,765 people with the surname Rolland. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,171), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Rolland.
Has Rolland become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Rolland went from 3,188 recorded bearers to 2,765. That is a decrease of 423 (-13.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,103 to #10,988.
What does the Census say about the background of Rolland?
Among Census respondents with the surname Rolland, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.1%. The next largest groups are Black (23.3%) and Two or More Races (5.6%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Rolland in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.1% (1,799 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Rolland appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.1%), Black (23.3%), Two or More Races (5.6%). 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 Rolland (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 Rolland mean?
A surname of French origin referring to someone who lived near or worked with wheels or wagons. 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 Rolland (0.93 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 Americans have the surname Rolland?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.