Copeland is an English surname from the Old Norse kaupaland, meaning "bought land", a term for land acquired by purchase rather than inheritance. It belongs to the drummer Stewart Copeland of The Police and fits the current wave of three-syllable surname names such as Sullivan and Callahan. Copeland ranked number 4826 in 2000 and around number 2000 through the 2010s before rising to number 1359 in 2025, its highest rank yet.