Name Generator

How popular is the name Roland?

Births per year, rank history and how many Rolands are alive today.

Roland (male), once a common boys' name, is now an uncommon choice for new babies in England and Wales, ranked 896th in 2025 with 35 given the name. The name peaked in 1904, when around 900 babies were given the name, the 80th most popular that year. It has declined since 1904; the 2025 figure is roughly 4% of its peak. Numbers have been stable in recent years. At least 40,000 babies have been named Roland in England and Wales since 1904. Figures before 1996 are estimates.

The Roland you are most likely to meet is around 74 years old. Half of all Rolands born in England and Wales are between 55 and 80, and there are at least 14,000 of them alive today. If you walk into a room of 100 males, there's roughly a 4.5% chance that at least one of them will be called Roland.

How many babies are named Roland each year?

05001k1920194019601980200020201904: ~902 estimated (647-1,157)1914: ~781 estimated (554-1,008)1924: ~656 estimated (463-849)1996: 181997: 141998: 111999: 142000: 102001: 132002: 72003: 92004: 102005: 142006: 162007: 122008: 112009: 172010: 152011: 152012: 52013: 212014: 242015: 182016: 252017: 172018: 302019: 222020: 212021: 352022: 242023: 222024: 252025: 35estimatedactual

Where does Roland rank among boys' names?

1101001,0005,0001920194019601980200020201904: ranked 801914: ranked 831924: ranked 821996: ranked 8181997: ranked 1,0101998: ranked 1,1881999: ranked 1,0272000: ranked 1,3302001: ranked 1,1352002: ranked 1,7992003: ranked 1,6292004: ranked 1,5962005: ranked 1,3772006: ranked 1,2802007: ranked 1,6662008: ranked 1,8282009: ranked 1,3582010: ranked 1,5512011: ranked 1,5222012: ranked 3,4162013: ranked 1,1832014: ranked 1,1172015: ranked 1,3802016: ranked 1,1232017: ranked 1,4702018: ranked 9582019: ranked 1,1892020: ranked 1,2302021: ranked 8712022: ranked 1,1432023: ranked 1,2432024: ranked 1,1322025: ranked 896

Where this data comes from

Figures from 1996 onwards are the Office for National Statistics' annual baby-name registrations for England and Wales, which record every name given to three or more babies in a year. Figures before 1996 are estimates: the ONS published only top-100 rankings at ten-year intervals back to 1904, so counts for those years are modelled from the rankings, calibrated against Douglas Galbi's long-run research into English name frequencies, and shown with an uncertainty band. Estimates of living bearers combine these birth figures with national life tables and ONS mid-year population estimates.

One limit worth naming: these figures count names as registered at birth. Anyone who changes their name later in life - including trans people, and anyone who adopts a different name by deed poll or simply by use - is not reflected here. Birth registrations record where a name began, not the name a person lives with.

Chart: babies named Roland per year in England and Wales, 1904 to 2025, peaking at about 902 in 1904
Roland: births per year in England and Wales, 1904-2025. Free to share with a link back.

Common questions

When was the name Roland most popular?

Roland peaked in 1904, when around 900 babies in England and Wales were given the name.

How many people are called Roland?

At least 14,000 people named Roland born in England and Wales are alive today.

How old is the typical Roland?

Most living Rolands are between 55 and 80; the most common age is about 74.

Is Roland becoming more or less popular?

Well past its peak: today's figures are a fraction of the 1904 peak, though numbers have levelled off in recent years.






Contact: writer@name-generator.org.uk | Data and Privacy Information | Change privacy settings