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. Orlando is the Italian form.
Belgium
Latin
● 1355 Rolandi (gen ) AM6 p. 6
Middle Dutch
● 1408 Roeland (nom ) MPSA p. 25 ;
1413 Roeland (nom ) ibid. p. 27 ;
1414 Roeland (nom ) ibid. p. 27 ;
1474 Roeland (nom ) ibid. p. 49 ;
1483 Roland (nom ) ibid. p. 52 ;
1487 Roeland (nom ) ibid. p. 54
Dutch
● 1510 Roeland MPSA p. 52 [sic] ;
1512 Roeland ibid. p. 53 [sic] ;
1513 Roeland ibid. p. 54 [sic] ;
1597x1598 Roelandt BoonenGes p. 335 ,
Roelandts (gen ) ibid. p. 326 ,
Roelant ibid. p. 354 ,
Roelants (gen ) ibid. p. 356
England
Latin
● 1340xc1450 Rollondi (gen ) CovGuild-1 p. 6 ,
Roulandus (nom ) ibid. p. 57 ;
1552 Rowlandus (nom ) StMartF p. 57 ;
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 ;
1576 Roelandus (nom ) AuFr Santvoort ;
1586 Rowlandus (nom ) RegBeb p. 27
Anglo-French
● 1245–1250[1586] Rouland Glover 156
Dutch
● 1590 Roelant AuFr Deckere ;
1595 Roelandt ibid. Veltman ;
1596 Roelant ibid. Veltman ;
1597 Roelant ibid. Veltman ;
1599 Rolant ibid. Veltman
Early Modern English
● 1526 Rowland WillsInv LXXVII ;
1530 Roland LIWill-III p. 38 ,
Rolland ibid. p. 84 ;
1544 Rowland StAnthonlin p. 5 ;
1556/57 Rowland PRThirsk p. 2 ;
1564 Rowlyn BarnstapleBap p. 13 ;
1569 Rowlande SurMus p. 143 ;
1571 Rowland CAmar-vol1 p. 2 ;
1572/3 Rowlande SurMus p. 163 ;
1573 Rowland RegPat p. 101 ,
StAnthonlin p. 22 ;
1576 Rowland COmar-vol5 p. 126 ;
1578 Rowland RegBeb p. 18 ;
1579 Rowland BUmar-vol1 p. 26 ;
1580 Rowland RegBisham p. 28 ;
1583 Roland DEmar-vol2 p. 9 ;
1583/4 Rowland SurMus p. 28 ,
Rowlande ibid. p. 16 ;
1584 Roland DEmar-vol2 p. 10 ,
Rowland SurMus p. 191 ;
1585 Rowland WAmar-1 p. 109 ;
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
Middle French
● 1567 Roland WCS p. 39 ,
Rolant ibid. p. 3 ,
Rollant ibid. p. 3 ;
1568 Roelant ibid. p. 39 ;
1569 Rolland ibid. p. 40 ;
1569/70 Rolland ibid. p. 5 ;
1570 Rolland ibid. p. 40 ;
1573 Roland ibid. p. 41
◑ 1584 Rolin WCS p. 18
Walloon
◑ 1593 Rolin RWC p. 27
Estonia
Middle Low German
● 1434 Rolant BbRT p. 356
France
Latin
● 814 Rodolandus (nom ) StVdM-II G7 ;
937x93 Rollandi (gen ) St-Barnard-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 ;
1364 Rollandi (gen ) ActsCharlesV no. 34 ;
1378 Rolandi (gen ) hanquetvol1 759
Old French
● 1292 Rolant 1292paris p. 2 ;
1296 Rolant paris1296 p. 10 ;
1297 Rollant (obl ) HistHdVParis p. 136 ;
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 ,
Rollan ibid. col. 618 ;
1418 Raoulant DdB1418 p. 214 ,
HGParis p. 388 ;
1562 Rolant RegPCC-1 p. 16 ;
1565 Rouland ibid. p. 189 ;
1567 Rouland ibid. p. 352 ;
1568 Rouland ibid. p. 366
◑ 1354 Rolin MHN DLX ;
1392 Rolin MemBret-II col. 608 ;
1404 Rolin HistHdVParis no. 4 ;
1421 Rolet favier 1191 ;
1438 Rolet ibid. 550 ,
Rolin ibid. 390
Germany
Latin
● 1157 Rolandi (gen ) quix-vol1 44
Italy
Latin
● 1099 Rolandi (gen ) RCI-Cam1 624 ;
1164 Rolandi (gen ) SDE3 I ;
1265x1339 Orlandi (gen ) BBC-Berg 588 ;
1285 Orlandi (gen ) Perugia1285 p. 160 ;
1310 Rolandus (nom ) MonRav-2 CCCL ;
1376 Rolando (abl ) DouGen1 p. 96 ;
1464 Rolandus (nom ) CUP-III-I CCXXXI ;
1522x1532 Orlandus (nom ) DSF p. 57, 20
◑ 1189 Rolandini (gen ) ChStBo1 I ;
1285 Orlandini (gen ) Perugia1285 p. 160 ,
Orlandutii (gen ) ibid. p. 160 ;
1304 Orlandinum (acc ) AnnMin6 XII ;
1367 Orlandini (gen ) Livi 164 ,
Orlandinus (nom ) ibid. 163 ;
1368 Orlandini (gen ) ibid. 204 ;
1369 Orlandino (abl ) ibid. 254
Latvia
Latin
◑ 1286 Rolekinus (nom ) RigSB 1020 ;
1289 Rolekino (dat ) ibid. 559
The Netherlands
Latin
● 1324 Rolandus (nom ) GesOIJ-1 p. 298
Dutch
◑ 1594 Roels (gen ) MagMiddelburg-1560 ;
1595 Roels (gen ) ibid.
Poland
Latin
● 1459 Orlando (abl ) CDP2-2 CCCCXII ,
Orlanij (gen ) ibid. CCCCXII
Scotland
Latin
● 1427 Rolandi (gen ) RMSRS-2 105
Spain
Latin
● 1490 Rhothlandus (nom ) carbonell-I p. 48
Switzerland
Latin
◑ 14thCx1478 Roleti (gen ) Ob-SPVn (176) ,
Roletum (acc ) ibid. (209) ,
Roletus (nom ) ibid. (10) ;
1343 Roletus (nom ) ibid. (157) ;
1348 Rolini (gen ) MHN DXI ;
1352 Roleto (abl ) ibid. DXLVII ,
Roletus (nom ) ibid. DXLVII ;
1354 Roletus (nom ) ibid. DLIX ;
1401 Roletum (acc ) MHCG2 470 ;
1432 Roletus (nom ) ibid. 479 ;
1432/3 Roletus (nom ) ibid. 480 ;
1438 Roletus (nom ) ibid. 212 ;
1476 Roletus (nom ) ibid. 243 ;
1502 Roleti (gen ) ibid. 275
Middle French
◑ 1350 Rolin MHN DXXVIII ;
1494 Rolet MHCG2 258
Wales
Latin
● 1582 Rowlandi (gen ) RegCon1 p. 36
Cite as: A. Brown, J. Pepe, J. Uckelman, S.L. Uckelman. "Roland". In S.L. Uckelman, ed. The Dictionary of Medieval Names from European Sources , Edition 2023, no. 1. http://dmnes.org/2023/1/name/Roland.