Roley
A diminutive form of Roland or Rowland, meaning "renowned land."
Name Census estimates that about 8 living Americans carry the first name Roley. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Roley today is around 72 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Roley births was 1921 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Roley. 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 Roley is about 72 years old today, placing it firmly among the names of earlier generations. Most living Roleys were born before 1964.
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Roley. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
8
~ 1 in 42,844,292 Americans
Peak year
1921
5 babies that year
Average age
72
years old
1954 SSA rank
#4,271
Tracked since 1921
Popularity
Roley: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Roley from the 1920s through to the 1950s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1950s, with 10 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Roley 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 Roley 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 Roley
The name Roley is a diminutive form of the English name Roland, which itself derives from the Germanic name Rowland. The name Roland can be traced back to the Frankish language and the old French word "rol" meaning "famous" and "lant" meaning "land". Thus, the name Roley essentially means "famous land" or "renowned territory".
The name Roland gained widespread popularity across Europe during the Middle Ages, largely due to the legend of the French epic poem "The Song of Roland". This chanson de geste, composed around 1100 AD, tells the story of a Frankish military leader named Roland who fought alongside Charlemagne. While Roland is a fictional character, his tale of bravery and sacrifice against the Saracens in the Battle of Roncevaux Pass resonated deeply with medieval audiences.
One of the earliest recorded uses of the name Roley dates back to the 12th century, with Roley de Beaumont, a Norman nobleman who participated in the Third Crusade under King Richard I of England. Another notable figure was Roley Fitzalan, a 13th-century English nobleman and Lord of Clun who served as a military commander during the Welsh wars.
In the 14th century, Roley Childe was a prominent English merchant and alderman in the city of London. Around the same time, Roley de Burgh was an Irish nobleman and knight who served as Lord Treasurer of Ireland under King Edward III.
During the Renaissance period, Roley Ridolfi was an Italian banker and diplomat who lived in the 16th century. He was a prominent figure in the court of Queen Elizabeth I and played a role in the Ridolfi plot, a failed assassination attempt against the English monarch.
Fast-forwarding to the 19th century, Roley Pudd was a British politician and Member of Parliament who served in the House of Commons from 1837 to 1857. He was known for his advocacy of parliamentary reform and the extension of voting rights.
People
Roley + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Roley 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
Roley: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Roley?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 8 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Roley 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 42,844,292 US residents.
Is Roley a common name?
We classify Roley as "Very Rare". It ranks above 24.6% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 20 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Roley most popular?
The single biggest year for Roley was 1921, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Roley is about 72 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 Roley in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Roley a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Roley 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 Roley still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Roley 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 Roley 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 the name Roley?
If you just want to know how many Americans are named Roley, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.