Roland
From WikiName
| Gender: | surname | |
| Pronunciation: | ROW-land | |
| Meaning: | renowned in the land | |
| Related Names: | Raymond, Rolan, Rolando, Rolen, Rowland, Roy |
Contents |
ORIGIN AND HISTORY
The name Roland stems from old German, the words making it up being hrōd = "fame" and land = "land". The name has been used in Germany since the Middle Ages and was also a common name in France. In history, Roland was an historical figure involved with Charlemagne and his experience in battle is perhaps the subject of the epic poem The Song of Roland, a classical 12th century French poem.[1]
POPULARITY
The name Roland has greatly decreased in popularity in the last 100 years in America. In the decade from 1900-1909, the name Roland was pretty popular, coming in at the 151st most popular given name for boys. The name has risen in popularity some decades and declined in popularity in other decades, but the overall trend is that the name is much less popular now than in 1900. Currently, the name ranks as the 787th most popular male given name in the US.[1]
The name is more popular in Australia and Canada, but is by no means at the top of their charts for male baby names. In Australia, the name Roland was 283rd in 1998, and in Canada, the name was 414th in 1997.[1]
FACTS
The name Roland has many name days around the world that are dedicated to the name Roland:
- The Catholic Church celebrates the name Roland on September 15th (in honor of Roland de Medici.
- France also celebrates the name Roland on September 15th.
- Hungary celebrates the name Roland on July 15th.
- The Czech Republic celebrates Roland as a name on June 14th.
- Poland and Sweden both celebrate the name day for Roland on August 9th.
- Estonia celebrates the name Roland on July 30th.
- Slovakia celebrates the name day for Roland on May 9th.[1]
NAMESAKES
- 'La Chanson de Roland' is a famous French lyric poem chronicling the Battle at Roncevaux, a quite historically unimportant battle, but the literary importance of the poem is great. The literary work is traced to the middle of the 12th century and became one of the most popular early works in France. It is the oldest known French literary manuscript.[1]
FAMOUS PERSONS
- Roland Parise was an astronaut
- Roland Howell and Roland de la Maza were baseball players
- Roland Harper, Johnny Roland and Roland Hooks were football players
- Roland West was a basketball player
- Betty Roland was a writer
Author: Rachel Hanson
NOTES
| Gender | surname + |
| Length | 6 + |
| Meaning | renowned in the land + |
| Meaningnc | renowned in the land + |
| Name | roland + |
| Origin | German + |
| Popularity | 3 + |
| Pronunciation | ROW-land + |
| Rank in 2000s | 732 + |
| Related | Raymond +, Rolan +, Rolando +, Rolen +, Rowland +, and Roy + |
