Rawland
An Old English masculine name with uncertain meaning, perhaps from "rough land".
Name Census estimates that about 14 living Americans carry the first name Rawland. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Rawland today is around 79 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Rawland births was 1921 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Rawland. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • The typical person named Rawland is about 79 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Rawlands were born before 1957.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Rawland. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
14
~ 1 in 24,482,453 Americans
Peak year
1921
6 babies that year
Average age
79
years old
1950 SSA rank
#4,087
Tracked since 1921
Popularity
Rawland: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Rawland from the 1920s through to the 1950s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1920s, with 18 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1920s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Rawland by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Rawland during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Rawland
The given name Rawland is of Old English origin, derived from the elements "raed" meaning counsel or wisdom, and "land" meaning land or estate. It emerged during the Anglo-Saxon period in Britain, roughly between the 5th and 11th centuries. The name was initially associated with the northern regions of England, where Old English dialects were more prevalent.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Rawland can be found in the Domesday Book, a great survey of landholdings commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry lists a landowner named Rawland de Hastings, indicating the name's use among the Norman nobility who settled in England following the Norman Conquest.
In the 12th century, the legend of the epic poem "The Song of Roland" became popular across Europe. This tale recounts the heroic exploits of a Frankish military leader named Roland, who served under Charlemagne. While the name in the poem is spelled differently, it likely contributed to the broader recognition and dissemination of the name Rawland in various spellings.
During the Middle Ages, the name Rawland appeared in various historical records and chronicles. One notable figure was Rawland de Gournay, a Norman knight who participated in the Third Crusade alongside King Richard I of England in the late 12th century.
In the 16th century, the name Rawland gained further prominence with the birth of Rawland Hill (c. 1510-1561), an English scholar and linguist who served as a tutor to the royal family. He was known for his contributions to the study of Greek and Latin languages.
Another significant figure was Rawland Frith (c. 1560-1619), an English physician and author who wrote extensively on medical topics. His works, such as "The Due Order of Studying the Works of Nature" and "The Pathway to Surgery," were influential in their time.
In the 18th century, Rawland Woodward (1726-1827) was a renowned English botanist and geologist. He made significant contributions to the fields of paleobotany and stratigraphy, and his collection of plant fossils was instrumental in advancing scientific understanding of prehistoric life.
The 19th century saw the birth of Rawland Leggat (1822-1903), a Scottish-born Australian businessman and philanthropist. He founded the successful Leggat Bros. department store chain and was known for his generous support of educational and cultural institutions in Melbourne.
People
Rawland + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Rawland as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with R
Other first names starting with R with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Rawland: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Rawland?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 14 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Rawland going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 24,482,453 US residents.
Is Rawland a common name?
We classify Rawland as "Very Rare". It ranks above 34% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 51 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Rawland most popular?
The single biggest year for Rawland was 1921, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Rawland is about 79 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Rawland in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Rawland a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Rawland in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Rawland still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Rawland in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Rawland can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people have Rawland as a first name?
If you just want to know how many people have the name Rawland, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.