Copelan
An English name derived from the surname meaning "little hill".
Name Census estimates that about 197 living Americans carry the first name Copelan. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Copelan today is around 7 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Copelan births was 2018 (36 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Copelan. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
197
~ 1 in 1,739,870 Americans
Peak year
2018
36 babies that year
Average age
7
years old
2024 SSA rank
#6,218
Tracked since 2008
Popularity
Copelan: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Copelan from the 2000s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 93 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Copelan by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Copelan during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Copelan
The name Copelan is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "copp" meaning "top" or "summit," and "land" referring to a hilltop or high ground. It is believed to have emerged as a surname in the 11th or 12th century, likely referring to someone who lived on or near a hilltop.
While the name's precise origins are uncertain, some records suggest it may have links to the Copeland region of Cumbria in northwestern England. This area was once part of the ancient British kingdom of Cumbria, and the name Copelan could have been used to identify individuals from that region.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Copelan dates back to the 13th century, when a Norman knight named Sir William Copelan was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, England, in 1273. This record suggests the name was in use among the Norman nobility during that period.
In the 14th century, a man named John Copelan was recorded as a witness in a legal document from the city of York, England, in 1379. This provides evidence of the name's continued use in medieval England.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the name Copelan. One such person was Sir Joseph Copelan (1638-1689), an English politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Thetford in Norfolk. Another was William Copelan (1733-1795), an American lawyer and politician who served as a delegate to the Continental Congress from Maryland.
In the 19th century, James Copelan (1823-1857) was a Scottish-born American soldier who fought in the Mexican-American War and later became a prospector during the California Gold Rush. Around the same time, John Copelan (1830-1901) was an Irish-American politician who served as the 33rd Mayor of Chicago from 1895 to 1897.
One of the most notable figures with the name Copelan was George Copelan (1863-1947), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the Standard Oil Company of Indiana, which later became Amoco Corporation. Copelan played a significant role in the early development of the American oil industry and was involved in various charitable endeavors.
People
Copelan + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Copelan as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with C
Other first names starting with C with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Copelan: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Copelan?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 197 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Copelan going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,739,870 US residents.
Is Copelan a common name?
We classify Copelan as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 198 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Copelan most popular?
The single biggest year for Copelan was 2018, when 36 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Copelan is about 7 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Copelan a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Copelan in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.