Roland (name)

Roland
Roland is a chivalrous old name made famous by the supposedly eight-foot-tall (2.4 m) romantic hero and nephew of Charlemagne, celebrated in medieval poetry and song.[1]
Pronunciation/ˈroʊlənd/
GenderMale
Language(s)Frankish
Name day15 September.
Origin
Word/namehruod- + land
Meaningfamed-land
Region of originFrance
Other names
Variant form(s)Rolando Orlando Roldán (name)
Nickname(s)Rolly, Rollie
DerivedRoldán (name) Lóránt, Roeland,
Related namesRolands, Rolland, Rowland, Roeland, Loránd, Lóránt[2]

Roland is a masculine Frankish given name that is also used as a family name. Forms in other languages include: Orlando (Italian),[3][4] Rolando (Italian, Portuguese, Spanish),[5] Roldán (Spanish),[6] Lorand (Hungarian).

Origin

The name Roland originates from Frankish. Its meaning has usually been identified as "famous land," "from the famous land," or "fame of the land", derived from the stems "Hrōð" or "χrōþi" meaning fame, and "land" (Hrōþiland). Some claim that "land" was derived from "nand," meaning "brave.",[7][8]

The name became widespread after the semi-legendary military hero Roland who served in the Frankish army under Charlemagne circa 778 A.D. and whose exploits were celebrated in the Chanson de Roland or Song of Roland.[9]

Variations include "Rollo" in British English[10] and "Rolle" in Scandinavian languages.[11]

Given name

  • Roland (bishop of Treviso) (fl. 1073–1089), Italian prelate
  • Roland of Cremona (1178–1259), Italian Dominican friar and theologian
  • Roland of Sicily (1296–1361), Sicilian nobleman and general

A–E

  • Roland Bäckman (born 1960), Swedish politician
  • Roland Bailey, American football cornerback known as "Champ"
  • Roland Barthes (1915–1980), French literary critic and theorist
  • Roland Borsa (died 1301), voivode of Transylvania for 3 periods in the late 13th century
  • Roland Burris (born 1937), American politician
  • Roland Busch (born 1964), German business executive and physicist
  • Roland Butcher, Barbados born English cricketer
  • Roland Van Campenhout (born 1944), Flemish blues musician
  • Roland Chaplain, English author and senior lecturer
  • Roland Clark (born 1965), American house music DJ, producer, songwriter and vocalist
  • Roland Cziurlock (born 1967), German bodybuilder
  • Roland Desné (1931–2020), French writer
  • Roland Dumas (1922–2024), French Socialist politician and lawyer who served as Foreign Minister from 1984 to 1986 and from 1988 to 1993 and President of the Constitutional Council of France from 1995 to 1999
  • Roland Ekenberg (born 1957), Swedish Army major general
  • Roland Emmerich (born 1955), German film director, screenwriter, and producer, United States' 11th-highest-grossing director of all time
  • Roland Étienne (born 1944), French archaeologist

F–M

N–Z

Surname

Variations

  • Rolando
  • Roldán
  • Role
  • Roli
  • Rolie
  • Rolin
  • Rolo
  • Rolon
  • Rolly
  • Rolo
  • Rowland
  • Rowlands

See also

  • Roland (disambiguation)
  • Orlando (given name)
  • Rowland (given name)
  • Rowland (surname)
  • Robert
  • Rodrick (disambiguation)
  • Rudolph
  • Roger
  • Rowlandson
  • Roland (game character)

References

  1. ^ "Roland: Meaning Of Name Roland". nameberry.com. Retrieved 2018-01-21.
  2. ^ Campbell, Mike. "Meaning, origin and history of the name Roland". Behind the Name. Retrieved 2018-01-21.
  3. ^ "orlando | Origin and meaning of the name orlando by Online Etymology Dictionary". www.etymonline.com.
  4. ^ Campbell, Mike. "Meaning, origin and history of the name Orlando". Behind the Name.
  5. ^ Campbell, Mike. "Meaning, origin and history of the name Rolando". Behind the Name.
  6. ^ Campbell, Mike. "Meaning, origin and history of the name Roldán". Behind the Name.
  7. ^ Campbell, Mike. "Meaning, origin and history of the name Roland". Behind the Name.
  8. ^ "Roland Name Meaning & Origin". Baby Name Wizard.
  9. ^ Dictionary of First Names. Wordsworth Editions. 1995. p. 198. ISBN 978-1-853-26366-8.
  10. ^ Shaw, Lisa; Norville, Andrea (2005). Baby Names Your Child Can Live With: Thousands Of Names To Help You Make The Perfect Choice. Adams Media. p. 144. ISBN 978-1-440-51870-6.
  11. ^ Rifkin, June (2011). The Everything Baby Names Book. Adams Media. p. 127. ISBN 978-1-440-52753-1.
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