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Dictionary of Medieval Names
from European Sources

Roland m. Old Saxon hrōth, Old High German hruod 'fame' + Old High German lant, Old Saxon land 'land'.

The name of an 11th C king of Galloway and a 12th C saint.

The popularity of the name in the later Middle Ages was influenced by the 8th C Frankish military leader and peer of Charlemagne by this name, who appeared in some of the most important and widely spread courtly literature.

England
Latin
1563 Rolandi (gen) Chst-1 p. 11; 1564 Rolandi (gen) ibid. p. 11; 1566 Rolandi (gen) ibid. p. 11; 1567 Rolandi (gen) ibid. p. 11; 1568 Rolandi (gen) ibid. p. 11, Rolandus (nom) ibid. p. 11
Early Modern English
1526 Rowland WillsInv LXXVII; 1530 Roland LIWill-III p. 38, Rolland ibid. p. 84; 1544 Rowland StAnthonlin p. 5; 1571 Rowland CAmar-vol1 p. 2; 1573 Rowland StAnthonlin p. 22; 1579 Rowland BUmar-vol1 p. 26; 1583 Roland DEmar-vol2 p. 9; 1584 Roland ibid. p. 10; 1586 Rowland StAnthonlin p. 31; 1590 Rowland ibid. p. 34; 1591 Rowland ibid. p. 35; 1593 Rowland ibid. p. 36; 1595 Rowland DEmar-vol2 p. 33; 1599 Rowland DU-DSMMar
Estonia
Middle Low German
1434 Rolant BbRT p. 356
France
Latin
937x93 Rollandi (gen) St-Bernard-Romans no. 80; c996 Rotlan (nom) CartSavII 6; 1054 Rolandus (nom) StVdM-II 693; 1055 Rotlandus (nom) ibid. 739; 1059 Rodlandus (nom) ibid. 687; 1143 Rollandi (gen) clairvaux-12thc 10; 1147 Rolannus (nom) ibid. 14, Rollannus (nom) ibid. 14; 1147x62 Rollanni (gen) ibid. 55; 1147x1162 Rolandus (nom) ibid. 46, Rolannus (nom) ibid. 55, Rollandi (gen) ibid. 45, Rollandus (nom) ibid. 45; 1153 Rolandi (gen) CartNDSaintes IX; 1163 Rolandi (gen) clairvaux-12thc 99, Rolanni (gen) ibid. 99; 1171 Rollandus (nom) ibid. 140; 1179 Rollandum (acc) ibid. 180, Rollandus (nom) ibid. 175; 1378 Rolandi (gen) hanquetvol1 759
Old French
1296 Rolant paris1296 p. 10; 1313 Rollant Paris1313 p. 27, Rollent ibid. p. 104, Roulant ibid. p. 56; 1327 Rouland MemDocMan-2 p. 193, Roulland ibid. p. 194, Roullant ibid. p. 194
Middle French
1392 Rolant MemBret-II col. 615; 1418 Raoulant HGParis p. 388
1438 Rolin favier 390
Germany
Latin
1157 Rolandi (gen) quix-vol1 44
Italy
Latin
1310 Rolandus (nom) MonRav-2 CCCL; 1376 Rolando (abl) DouGen1 p. 96
Spain
Latin
1490 Rhothlandus (nom) carbonell p. 48
Switzerland
Latin
14thCx1478 Roleti (gen) Ob-SPVn (176), Roletum (acc) ibid. (209), Roletus (nom) ibid. (10); 1343 Roletus (nom) ibid. (157)
Cite as: J. Uckelman, S.L. Uckelman. "Roland". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources, Edition 2015, no. 3. http://dmnes.org/2015/3/name/Roland.