Gender Masculine
Scripts როლანდ(Georgian)
Pronounced Pron. /ˈɹoʊ.lənd/(English) /ʁɔ.lɑ̃/(French) /ˈʁoː.lant/(German) /ˈroː.lɑnt/(Dutch) /ˈro.lɒnd/(Hungarian) /ˈrɔ.lant/(Polish)  [key·simplify]

Meaning & History

From the Old German elements hruod meaning "fame" and lant meaning "land", though some theories hold that the second element was originally nand meaning "brave" [1].

Roland was an 8th-century military commander, serving under Charlemagne, who was killed by the Basques at the Battle of Roncevaux. His name was recorded in Latin as Hruodlandus. His tale was greatly embellished in the 11th-century French epic La Chanson de Roland, in which he is a nephew of Charlemagne killed after being ambushed by the Saracens. The Normans introduced the name to England.

Related Names

VariantsRolland, Rowland(English) Rolland(French) Roeland(Dutch) Loránd, Lóránt(Hungarian) Orlando, Rolant, Rollant(Carolingian Cycle)
DiminutivesRollie, Roly, Rowley(English) Roel(Dutch)
Feminine FormRolande(French)
Other Languages & CulturesHrodland(Germanic) Orlando, Rolando(Italian) Rolandas(Lithuanian) Rolant, Rollant(Medieval French) Hrōþilandaz(Old Germanic) Orlando, Rolando, Roldão(Portuguese) Rolan(Russian) Orlando, Rolando, Roldán(Spanish)
Surname DescendantRolland(French)
User SubmissionsRóland, Rôland

Popularity

People think this name is

classic   mature   formal   upper class   natural   wholesome   strong   refined   strange   serious  

Name Days

Austria: July 14
Austria: November 9
Czechia: June 14
Estonia: July 30
France: September 15
Hungary: July 15
Poland: August 9
Slovakia: May 9
Sweden: August 9

Images

Roland at Roncesvalles by Alphonse-Marie-Adolphe de Neuville (1883)Roland at Roncesvalles by Alphonse-Marie-Adolphe de Neuville (1883)

Categories

Sources & References

  1. Drosdowski, Günther. Duden Lexikon der Vornamen. Mannheim, 1968, page 178.
Entry updated April 23, 2024