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Rolland History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Rolland History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
France
Scotland
Ireland

The Rolland surname comes from the Norman personal name Rol(l)an, which derives from the Germanic elements "hrod," meaning "renown," and "land," meaning "territory." Much of the Medieval popularity of this name was as a result of Roland (d. 778), a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who was defeated at the Battle of Roncevaux Pass in 778. The Song of Roland thought to have been written between 1040 and 1115 is an epic poem based the battle.

Early Origins of the Rolland family

The surname Rolland was first found in Bedfordshire (Old English: Bedanfordscir), located in Southeast-central England, formerly part of the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Mercia, where a record in the Domesday Book of 1086 lists Rolland as being a landholder in Beeston (Bistone). 1

They were in neighboring Huntingdonshire from the early 12th century. The Domesday Book also lists Ralunt (Rowland) in Derbyshire.

One source states "A baptismal name as in 'the son of Roland.' Roland or Orlando was the nephew of the great Charles, who fell at Roncesvalles." 2 This latter reference is derived from The Miscellaneous Prose Works of Sir Walter Scott (Vol IV) and we shall now provide it in a more complete context. "No reader can have forgotten, that when the decisive battle of Hastings commenced, a Norman minstrel, Taillefer, advanced on horseback before the invading host and gave the signal for onset, by singing the 'Song of Roland,' that renowned nephew of Charlamagne, of whom the chivalry of Charles the Great in the pass of Roncesvalles, has given rise to such clouds of romantic fiction, that its very name has been for ever associated with it. The remarkable passage has been often quoted from the 'Brut of Wace,' an Anglo-Norman metrical chronicle. 'Taillefer, who sung both well and loud, Came mounted on a courser proud; Before the Duke the minstrel sprung. And loud of Charles and Roland sung, Of Oliver and champions mo, Who died at fatal Roncevaux.'"

Early History of the Rolland family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rolland research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1196, 1218, 1221, 1303, 1327, 1500, 1551, 1555, 1565, 1569, 1586, 1599, 1601, 1602, 1606, 1616, 1620, 1621, 1637, 1655, 1660, 1711 and 1723 are included under the topic Early Rolland History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rolland Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Rolland, Roland, Rowland, Rowlands, Rowlandson, Rolan and many more.

Early Notables of the Rolland family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

In Scotland, John Rolland, was a 16th century Scottish poet, known to have been in Dalkeith in 1555. 3

Rolland Ranking

In the United States, the name Rolland is the 10,168^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4 However, in France, the name Rolland is ranked the 85^th most popular surname with an estimated 31,546 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Rolland family to Ireland

Some of the Rolland family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rolland migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Rolland Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Rolland, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 6

Rolland Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacques Rolland, aged 18, settled in Louisiana in 1719
Guillaume Rolland, aged 16, who landed in Louisiana in 1719 6
Jacques Rolland, aged 18, who landed in Louisiana in 1719 6
Louis Antoine Rolland, aged 26, who landed in Louisiana in 1720 6
Joseph Rolland, who settled in Louisiana in 1756

Rolland Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Hraus Rolland, aged 25, who arrived in New York, NY in 1855 6
Bran Rolland, aged 25, who arrived in New York, NY in 1855 6
Elizabeth Rolland, aged 15, who landed in New York in 1862 6
George Rolland, aged 20, who arrived in New York in 1862 6
Mary Rolland, aged 55, who arrived in New York in 1862 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Rolland migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Rolland Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William E. Rolland, aged 32, a quarrier, who arrived in South Australia in 1849 aboard the ship "Cheapside" 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Rolland (post 1700) +

George Murray Rolland, English soldier in the 1st Bombay Grenadiers, Indian Army, who was a recipient of the Victoria Cross for deeds on April 22, 1903
Pierre Jacques Nicolas Rolland, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 8
Pierre Rolland (1931-2011), Canadian oboist, English horn player, radio broadcaster, music critic and music educator
Pierre Rolland (1772-1848), French Brigadier General, named a Baron of the First French Empire
Marion Rolland (b. 1982), French gold medalist World Cup alpine ski race
Kevin Rolland (b. 1989), French seven-time gold medalist freestyle skier
Romain Rolland (1866-1944), French writer and dramatist, recipient of the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1915
Michel Rolland (b. 1947), French oenologist
Colette Rolland (b. 1943), French computer scientist
Alain Rolland (b. 1966), former Irish rugby union footballer and current international referee

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The CHEAPSIDE 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Cheapside.htm
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, August 27) Pierre Rolland. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html