Roldan
A Spanish form of the Germanic name Roland meaning "famous land".
Name Census estimates that about 295 living Americans carry the first name Roldan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Roldan today is around 29 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Roldan births was 1994 (13 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Roldan. 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.
People living today
295
~ 1 in 1,161,879 Americans
Peak year
1994
13 babies that year
Average age
29
years old
2024 SSA rank
#10,666
Tracked since 1960
Census
Roldan in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 753 people with the first name Roldan, which placed it at #15,320 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#15,320
National first-name rank
People counted
753
753 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.2
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Hispanic or Latino
61.2% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Roldan
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Roldan is Hispanic at 61.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (34.0%) and White (2.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Roldan described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Roldan at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino61.2% · 461
- Asian and Pacific Islander34.0% · 256
- White2.0% · 15
- Black or African American1.6% · 12
- Two or more races0.7% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 4
Popularity
Roldan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Roldan from the 1960s through to the 2020s, spanning 7 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2000s, with 67 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2000s peak, Roldan remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Roldan 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 Roldan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Roldans live
Origin
Meaning and history of Roldan
The name Roldan is of Spanish origin and can be traced back to the Medieval era. It is derived from the Germanic name "Rodlan," which is a combination of the elements "hrod" meaning "fame" and "land" meaning "land" or "territory." The name was popularized during the Middle Ages, particularly in Spain and other areas under the influence of the Iberian Peninsula.
One of the earliest and most notable bearers of the name was Roldan, a legendary Frankish military leader who fought alongside Charlemagne in the 8th century. He is mentioned in several medieval epics, including the Song of Roland, where he is portrayed as a brave and skilled warrior. This literary work, which dates back to around the 11th century, contributed to the widespread recognition of the name across Europe.
In the 13th century, a Spanish knight named Roldan de Navarra (born around 1200) gained fame for his military exploits during the Reconquista, the long-lasting conflict between Christian kingdoms and the Moors in the Iberian Peninsula. His bravery and leadership earned him a place in historical records, further solidifying the name's association with valor and heroism.
Another notable bearer of the name was Roldan de Merlo (c. 1310-1380), a Castilian nobleman and military commander who served under King Alfonso XI of Castile. He played a crucial role in several battles against the Moors and was renowned for his strategic abilities and courage on the battlefield.
In the 16th century, Roldan Viladegut (c. 1500-1570) was a Spanish navigator and explorer who participated in several expeditions to the Americas. He is credited with being one of the first Europeans to explore the Gulf of California and the Baja California peninsula, contributing to the expansion of Spanish exploration and colonization in the New World.
Another notable figure was Roldan Villanueva (1542-1624), a Spanish Jesuit missionary who traveled to the Philippines and worked tirelessly to spread Christianity in the region. His efforts played a significant role in the establishment of Catholic missions and the conversion of many Filipinos to the faith.
These are just a few examples of the rich historical legacy associated with the name Roldan, which has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including military leaders, explorers, and religious figures, throughout the centuries.
People
Roldan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Roldan 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
Roldan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Roldan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 295 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Roldan 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 1,161,879 US residents.
Is Roldan a common name?
We classify Roldan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 79% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 307 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Roldan most popular?
The single biggest year for Roldan was 1994, when 13 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Roldan is about 29 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Roldan in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 753 people with the name Roldan, or 0.25 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #15,320 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Roldan in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Roldan?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Roldan appears almost entirely male. Of the 750 people counted with this name, 99.1% were male and only a very small share were female. The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Roldan?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Roldan is Hispanic at 61.2%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (34.0%) and White (2.0%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Roldan most often in the Census?
Hispanic is the largest reported group for people named Roldan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.2% (461 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
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 Roldan in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Roldan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Roldan 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 Roldan still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Roldan 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 Roldan 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.
How many people are named Roldan?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.