Rolands History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France

The name Rolands is from that ancient region of France known as Brittany. This particular name is derived from the old Germanic personal name Hrodlant, which is composed of the Old German elements hrod, meaning fame or victory, and lant, meaning land or territory.

Early Origins of the Rolands family

The surname Rolands was first found in Brittany, where the family has held a family seat since ancient times.

Early History of the Rolands family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rolands research. Another 310 words (22 lines of text) covering the years 1268, 1510, 1642, 1678, 1786 and 1867 are included under the topic Early Rolands History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rolands Spelling Variations

French surnames were subject to numerous alterations in spelling because of the various cultural groups that inhabited specific regions. Eventually, each region possessed its own local dialect of the French language. The early development of the French language, however, was also influenced by other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heavily from the Italian language during the Renaissance. As a result of these linguistic and cultural influences, the name Rolands is distinguished by a number of regional variations. The many spelling variations of the name include Rolland, Roland, Rollan, Rolan, Rolend, Rollend, Rollen, Rauland, Raulend, Rolain, Rollain, Raullen, Raullan, Raulan, Rolands, Rollands, Roling and many more.

Early Notables of the Rolands family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Rolands Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rolands migration to the United States +

In 1643, 109 years after the first landings by Cartier, there were only about 300 people in Quebec. Migration was slow. The fur trade attracted migrants, both noble and commoner. By 1675, there were 7000 French in Quebec. By the same year the French Acadian presence in the Maritimes had reached 500. The French founded Lower Canada, thus becoming one of the two great founding nations of Canada. The family name Rolands has made many distinguished contributions in France and New France to the world of science, culture, religion, and education. Amongst the settlers in North America with this distinguished name Rolands were

Rolands Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Benjamin Rolands, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1871 1

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)