Roel is a Dutch short form of Roeland, the Dutch Roland, a Germanic name that means "famous land" or "fame of the land". The name is also common in the Philippines and among Mexican American families, where it is pronounced in two syllables, Ro-el, and sits next to Noel and Joel. In the United States Roel stood at number 1484 in 2000, its best rank in this period, and is number 2510 among boys' names in 2025.