Copeland
Of English origin, meaning "hill dweller" or "resident of a hilltop".
Name Census estimates that about 1,267 living Americans carry the first name Copeland. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 80.2% of registrations being male. The average person named Copeland today is around 11 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Copeland births was 2018 (101 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Copeland. 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.
Key insights
- • Copeland is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 11 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.3K
~ 1 in 270,524 Americans
Peak year
2018
101 babies that year
Average age
11
years old
2024 SSA rank
#1,992
Tracked since 1912
Gender
Gender distribution for Copeland
Copeland leans heavily male at 80.2% of total registrations, but 262 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Copeland as a male name
- Ranked #1,992 in 2024
- 77 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (77 births)
Copeland as a female name
- Ranked #6,665 in 2024
- 17 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2018 (30 births)
Popularity
Copeland: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Copeland from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 10 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 624 total registrations. Although the numbers have come down from the 2010s peak, Copeland remains solidly in use and shows no sign of disappearing from maternity wards.
Babies born per year
Decades
Copeland 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 Copeland during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Copelands live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Texas, Georgia, Tennessee recorded the most babies named Copeland, while Oregon, Indiana, South Carolina recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 27 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Copeland
The name Copeland is an English surname that has been adopted as a given name over time. It is derived from two Old English words, "cop" meaning a peak or hill, and "land" meaning land or territory. Copeland was originally used as a locational surname for someone who lived in a particular area known for its hills or peaks.
The earliest recorded use of the name Copeland dates back to the 12th century, when it appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1166 as a reference to a place name. In the following centuries, it became a common surname among English families, particularly in the northern regions of England.
While there are no significant historical references to the name Copeland itself, it gained prominence through its association with notable individuals who bore this surname. One such person was John Copeland, an English military commander who fought in the Hundred Years' War against France in the 14th century.
Another prominent figure with the name Copeland was Ralph Copeland, an English astronomer and mathematician who lived from 1837 to 1905. He made significant contributions to the study of planetary motions and the calculation of eclipses.
In the realm of literature, the name Copeland is associated with Charles Townsend Copeland, an American writer and educator who lived from 1860 to 1952. He was known for his works on English literature and his contributions to the study of Chaucer.
In more recent times, the name Copeland has been used as a given name, often inspired by its connection to nature and geography. One notable figure with this first name is Copeland Smith, an American musician and songwriter who was a member of the band Shinedown.
Another individual with the first name Copeland is Copeland Smythe, an American actor and playwright who lived from 1908 to 1998. He was known for his contributions to the theater and his work in television and film.
While the name Copeland has its origins in Old English, it has transcended its original meaning and gained a unique identity as a given name, carried by individuals from various walks of life throughout history.
People
Copeland + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Copeland 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
Copeland: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Copeland?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,267 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Copeland 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 270,524 US residents.
Is Copeland a common name?
We classify Copeland as "Rare". It ranks above 91.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,322 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Copeland most popular?
The single biggest year for Copeland was 2018, when 101 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Copeland is about 11 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Copeland a male name?
Yes, 80.2% of people registered as Copeland 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.