I’m looking for thoughts on this name! It would be a family name, but don’t let that influence you 
I’m curious what the immediate reaction is, what associations you might have with the name, and what kind of person would you imagine with this name.
Also, any ideas for a good nn? Or would you go with the full name?
Ta!
[name]Roland[/name] is a family name for my husband as well. I’ve gotten really positive feedback on it from Berries, but everyone in my family hates it (me included).
My husband loves it so much that I’m having trouble telling him no. But I would only want to use it in the middle name position.
I just can’t imagine my son with the name [name]Roland[/name]. It’s very unattractive to me. I’ve thought a lot about a good nn since I am trying to make the name appeal to me more, but all I can come up with is [name]Rollie[/name] and [name]Rowe[/name].
[name]Hi[/name] there it’s rollo here and if you want to honour the family and [name]Roland[/name] doesn’t appeal to you then the trendy sounding [name]Rollo[/name] may be the ticket. It sounds a lot like [name]Rocco[/name].
rollo
I love love love [name]Roland[/name]! Very handsome and sophisticated. I love it!
I would use the full name but for nicknames you could do:
[name]Rollo[/name]
[name]Ro[/name]
[name]Ron[/name]
[name]Ronnie[/name]
[name]Rollie[/name]
[name]Lanny[/name]
I want to like [name]Roland[/name] but it just sounds kind of… older middle-aged man to me. Hmm. The nicknames just don’t do it for me either, [name]Rollo[/name] for the chocolates and [name]Rollie[/name] for the rolling papers. (that’s just what I think of!)
[name]Roland[/name] makes me think of one of my childhood friend’s cranky old dad. It’s just not for me.
I think it is a handsome, strong, somewhat epic name and relatively uncommon which would make it quite a stand-out choice.
The only association I have with [name]Roland[/name] is that it is the name of the ‘gunslinger’ main character in [name]Stephen[/name] [name]King[/name]'s ‘Dark [name]Tower[/name]’ series, but to be honest I never finished reading those books so I don’t really have an opinion on them. (I’m not sure it matters anyway, lol).
But yes, I like this name a lot and I think it is completely wearable for a little boy as well as a dignified choice as he grows older. =]
I love [name]Roland[/name]! I’ve been wondering why I don’t hear about it more often. It sounds very regal to me. Plus, I love any name with the nn [name]Roe[/name] 
[name]Roland[/name] the headless [name]Thompson[/name] gunner is a great song by [name]Warren[/name] [name]Zevon[/name]. A sad association though. And weird.
There’s a Swedish folksong with a refrain about a poor love named [name]Roland[/name].
http://www.davemcnally.com/lyrics/warrenzevon/rolandtheheadlessthompsongunner.asp
So I have very musical association.
I immediately think of the [name]Chanson[/name] de [name]Roland[/name]. [name]Roland[/name] was THE medieval hero. Battled the evil Saracens.
I like it. I was considering it once upon a time but it sounds bad with my surname. It is a nice, sophisticated name. I would go with using the full name because it is a nice name, but I like the idea of [name]Rollo[/name] and [name]Ro[/name]. [name]Rollie[/name] does make me think of [name]Rollie[/name] [name]Pollie[/name] [name]Ollie[/name] though, but aside from those associations it is cute.
I like it, I associate it with medieval knights and [name]Roland[/name] from The Gunslinger by [name]Stephen[/name] [name]King[/name]. (A good guy and a badass).
[name]Rolly[/name] is kind of ick, though. I know too many Ollies, because [name]Oliver[/name] is tremendously popular here.
I really like [name]Roland[/name]. I admit I do generally think “the [name]Thompson[/name] [name]Gunner[/name]” in my head straight away after hearing the name, but its an association I’d quickly get over if I new a little [name]Roland[/name] I think.
To me, the name is solid, strong, uncommon and best of all has the fun nn of [name]Ro[/name] built right in.
Yes, that!
There’s also a rather charming character named [name]Roland[/name] in A.S. [name]Byatt[/name]'s novel Possession… I like the name!
[name]Love[/name] it!
[name]Rollo[/name]'s cute; [name]Rory[/name] would also be a natural nickname.
Me too! [name]Roland[/name] is pretty sophisticated and charming. The only one I ever met was very attractive and very upper-class.
I love [name_m]Roland[/name_m]. Funny enough, [name_m]Roland[/name_m] the Headless [name_m]Thompson[/name_m] [name_m]Gunner[/name_m] is actually a positive association for me because my mom loves [name_m]Warren[/name_m] [name_m]Zevon[/name_m] and would sing me that song as a lullaby (we’re kind of an eccentric family). My husband also likes it because he is a big fan of the Dark [name_m]Tower[/name_m] novels.
Well, I just woke up and I’m all blurry eyed and I read it as Ret*rd so… there’s that against it.
Wow, this is an old thread. Sadly, [name_m]Rollo[/name_m] (one of the previous posters) passed away, so I was very surprised to see her comments here!
@asteroidpsychic, I’m a [name_m]Warren[/name_m] [name_m]Zevon[/name_m] fan (from an eccentric family), too.
FWIW, I semi-recently heard someone talking to a toddler and calling him [name_m]Roland[/name_m], earlier this year, I believe.
I’ve always liked [name_m]Roland[/name_m]! It’s very grown up sounding while still being cute on a child.
I quite prefer over similar, trendier names like [name_m]Roman[/name_m] and [name_u]Rowan[/name_u].
Plus soooooo much nickname potential.
[name_f]Edit[/name_f]: just saw this was an old thread, oops!