The Rollins surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 35,132 people carried this name — #992 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 8,400 people counted. That is up 4% from 33,797 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Rollins surname

An English surname transferred from the given name of Anglo-Norman origin, from a diminutive of the given name Rollo.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Rollins» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Ralph’.

An early record he cites: John Rolyns, Somerset, 1327–28 (1 Edward III) — Kirby's Quest (Somerset).

His entry covers Rollin, Rollins, Rollings, Rollinson and Rolling.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 652 · public domain.

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 7 births for the Rollins name in 1890.

Most were registered in Ulster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 300 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born, 1890

Ulster 6
Leinster 1

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In print

Rollins in American newspapers,
1911.

Newspaper page from The Owosso Times carrying the name Rollins
The Owosso Times 1911-08-04
Newspaper page from The L'anse Sentinel carrying the name Rollins
The L'anse Sentinel 1911-08-12
Newspaper page from The Irish Standard carrying the name Rollins
The Irish Standard 1911-05-13

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 242,764 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Rollins in Australian newspapers,
1840s–2000s.

5,101 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Rollins. The most, 1,034, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Tasmania, at 6.2 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Tasmania 1,924
New South Wales 1,216
Victoria 978
South Australia 411
Queensland 323
Western Australia 196
ACT (Canberra) 35
Northern Territory 5

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Rollins.

Who carried it

People named Rollins,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Daniel G. Rollins
    Daniel G. Rollins 1796–1875 · judge
  • James S. Rollins
    James S. Rollins 1812–1888 · lawyer
  • John R. Rollins
    John R. Rollins 1817–1892
  • Calvin Rollins d. 1993 · university teacher
  • Ichabod Rollins 1722–1800
  • John Rollins 1750–1827

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Rollins,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,331 records

2,331 records of the Rollins name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,129
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 503
  • Other U.S. records 699
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Arbal Rollins

    Born 1946; from East St Louis, Illinois. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1966 in Quang Nam, South Vietnam. Buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Hoke Rollins

    Born 1911 in Georgia. Enlisted 1944 at Fort McPherson Atlanta; auto mechanic from Whitfield County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1993, buried at West Hill Cemetery, Dalton, Georgia.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jane Rollins

    Arrived at New York in 1874 aboard the Adriatic from Liverpool, aged 27; servant. From England.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 2,331 records for Rollins in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia379 records

379 records of the Rollins name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 249
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 78
  • Other Australian records 52
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record William Ernest W. Rollins

    Died 1894 in Kingston, Tasmania, aged 27. Will registered in Tasmania in 1894.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Thomas Rollins

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Dunvegan Castle, arriving 1840; ticket of leave 1857.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Maria Rollins

    Arrived in Victoria in 1861 aboard the Shackamaxon, aged 19; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 379 records for Rollins in Australia.

Counts: Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada38 records

38 records of the Rollins name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 15
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 9
  • Other Canadian records 14
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record John Rollins

    Killed in 1938 at the Princess Mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Nelles Rollins

    Buried in 1970 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 78.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record James Flemming Rollins

    Died in service in 1918.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 38 records for Rollins in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom2 records

2 records of the Rollins name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. Rollins

    Royal Warwickshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record E. Rollins

    Royal Scots. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France2 records

2 records of the Rollins name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Eveline Rollins

    Born 1903 in Ireland; died 1998 in Bourges (Cher).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Harold Rollins

    Born 1911 in Barabde (Antilles Britanniques); died 1997 in Cayenne (Guyane).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

New Zealand1 record

1 record of the Rollins name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Edith Josephine Rollins

    Died 1973, aged 74; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Germany1 record

1 record of the Rollins name in Germany Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Arthur Rollins

    From Neukölln. Reported wounded in the Prussian casualty list of 5 November 1914 (Landwehr Infantry Regiment No. 8).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Rollins.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Rollins is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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