Head to head · Boys' names
Raul vs Roland
#634 vs #607 in 2025 · both holding its place on the charts
Roland is ahead (#607 vs #634 in 2025) and both are holding its place on the charts. The records will not split these two — sound, story and your own last name will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
On the charts, Roland leads 4 measures of 6; Raul leads 1.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Raul —, Roland #253 — Roland higher
- 1890s: Raul —, Roland #172 — Roland higher
- 1900s: Raul #925, Roland #154 — Roland higher
- 1910s: Raul #673, Roland #128 — Roland higher
- 1920s: Raul #360, Roland #106 — Roland higher
- 1930s: Raul #306, Roland #117 — Roland higher
- 1940s: Raul #298, Roland #157 — Roland higher
- 1950s: Raul #256, Roland #204 — Roland higher
- 1960s: Raul #256, Roland #242 — Roland higher
- 1970s: Raul #213, Roland #331 — Raul higher
- 1980s: Raul #206, Roland #415 — Raul higher
- 1990s: Raul #212, Roland #588 — Raul higher
- 2000s: Raul #254, Roland #740 — Raul higher
- 2010s: Raul #439, Roland #630 — Raul higher
- 2020s: Raul #593, Roland #630 — Raul higher
Roland stood higher in 9 of 15 decades; Raul has held the lead since the 1970s.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Raul | Roland |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | — | #253 |
| 1890s | — | #172 |
| 1900s | #925 | #154 |
| 1910s | #673 | #128 |
| 1920s | #360 | #106 |
| 1930s | #306 | #117 |
| 1940s | #298 | #157 |
| 1950s | #256 | #204 |
| 1960s | #256 | #242 |
| 1970s | #213 | #331 |
| 1980s | #206 | #415 |
| 1990s | #212 | #588 |
| 2000s | #254 | #740 |
| 2010s | #439 | #630 |
| 2020s | #593 | #630 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Raul
counsel-wolf, from Germanic rād 'advice, counsel' and wulf 'wolf'
The same two elements sit inside the English Ralph and the French Raoul; the Germanic naming habit of pairing an abstract quality with an animal is very old and very well documented.
Rādwulf → Radulf → Raoul → Raúl → Raul
How it traveled
The oldest form is the Germanic Rādwulf, latinized as Radulf, which spread through Frankish territory in the early medieval period. Old French wore it down to Raoul, and Norman speakers took that form to England, where it settled as Ralph.
Roland
most often read as "famous land" or "renowned throughout the land"
The first element is agreed on: Germanic hrod, "fame, renown". The second is where scholars part company — most read it as land, giving "renowned land"; others take it from nand, "bold, daring", giving something closer to "famously brave". Both readings are old and respectable.
Hrodland → Hruodlandus → Rolant (Old French) → Roland → Orlando
How it traveled
The name is Germanic, formed from hrod ("fame") and a second element read as either "land" or "bold". Its most famous early bearer is documented: Hruodlandus, a Frankish commander of the Breton March under Charlemagne, killed in a rearguard ambush at Roncevaux in the Pyrenees in 778.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Raul
rah-OOL
Two syllables, stress on the second. In Spanish the accent mark (Raúl) is what keeps the vowels apart; without it, English speakers sometimes flatten it to one syllable, closer to 'Rowl'.
- Raulito — Standard Spanish diminutive, used affectionately within families and often for a boy named after his father.
- Rauli — Informal short form; also exists independently as a Finnish given name.
- Rau — Clipped informal form heard among friends and teammates rather than in writing.
Roland
ROH-lənd
Stress on the first syllable in English. French speakers say roh-LAHN with a nasal ending, and the Italian relatives Orlando and Rolando shift the stress to the middle — worth knowing if the family is bilingual.
- Rollie — The most common English short form; informal, and used as a standalone name in its own right by some families.
- Roly — Informal, chiefly British spelling of the same short form.
- Ro — A one-syllable clip, informal and mostly used within families.
- Lando — Used more with Rolando and Orlando than with Roland, but available; informal.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Raul if you want…
- a name fewer children share#634 in 2025 — raul will almost certainly be the only one in school
- a name holding steadyRaul is holding its place on the charts
- a name with fewer syllablesRaul is 1 syllable to Roland's 2
- a newer arrivalRaul entered the US charts in 1904
Choose Roland if you want…
- a name most people already know#607 in 2025, 466 babies that year
- a name with more sound in itRoland runs 2 syllables, Raul 1
- a long American recordRoland was already in use when US records began in 1880
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Raul
Strengths
- Works unchanged in English, Spanish and Portuguese — only the accent mark shifts, and the sound stays recognizable in all three.
- Four letters, no silent letters, no competing spellings to choose between.
- A documented line running from early medieval Frankish names through Old French to the modern form.
To consider
- The accent in Raúl will be dropped by school systems, forms and databases; deciding early whether you write it with or without saves years of small corrections.
- English-only speakers often need one gentle correction, either compressing it to a single syllable or reaching for the French Raoul.
- Its American strength is concentrated in the southwest and California, so outside those regions it may be met as unfamiliar rather than merely uncommon — which is not the same as difficult.
Roland
Strengths
- A spelling almost everyone can already read and write, unchanged in English for centuries.
- One of the deepest paper trails a name can have: an eighth-century Frankish commander, a medieval French epic, and continuous use since.
- Works across French, German, Dutch, Italian and Spanish with only small adjustments — Roland, Roeland, Rolando, Orlando.
To consider
- The name is far more strongly represented among older generations than among children, so it may be read as a grandfather's name before it is read as a baby's. That cuts both ways: it is recognizable to everyone and worn by almost no toddlers.
- It gets misheard as Ronald and misspelled as Rowland, both of which are real names in their own right. Expect to repeat it on the phone.
- Roland is also a well-known Japanese maker of synthesizers and drum machines, so a search of the name brings up keyboards before people. Musicians will notice; most others will not.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Raul and Roland in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Raul and Roland?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Raul and Roland — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Raul or Roland — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Raul or Roland?
- Roland, in 2025: Roland ranked #607 with 466 babies; Raul ranked #634 with 440 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Raul or Roland?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Raul moved down 77 places; Roland moved down 37 places.
- Which is the older name, Raul or Roland?
- Raul entered the US charts in 1904; Roland was already in use when US records began in 1880. On the American record, Roland is the older name.
- How many people are named Raul and Roland?
- About 73,500 people named Raul are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 47,500 people named Roland are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Rauls or Rolands in the classroom?
- Raul will almost certainly be the only one in school. Roland will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Raul, Roland and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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