[3] The Copeland Islands most likely derive their name from the de Coupland family, who settled in the Newtownards area, at the northern end of the Ards Peninsula, along with other Normans in the 12th century.

[2] This family also lent their name to other landmarks in the vicinity such as Copeland Water near Carrickfergus and the townland of Ballycopeland in the civil parish of Donaghadee.

However, it has been suggested that the 1570s usage of 'Helaine Harr[o]n[e]' may be an attempt at Anglicising the Irish name Oileáin Árann (island of the (kidney-shaped) ridge).

In 1671, James Ross obtained a fee farm grant of the islands, and in 1770 David Kerr bought them from The 2nd Earl of Clanbrassil (by the second creation).

[5] Hans Sloane visited the islands and noted how how the sea wrens [sic] laid their eggs on the ground so thick that they had difficulty in passing along without treading on them while the birds screamed overhead.

The islands are important sites for breeding seabirds and waders, in addition to their coastal plant communities and geological features.

Communities influenced by the sea are found around the shore with maritime cliff vegetation and pockets of salt marsh also present.

[7] The vegetation on Light House Island consists of short rabbit grazed turf with large areas of rank bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) and Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera).

[8] Notable species include English stonecrop (Sedum anglicum), rock sea-spurrey (Spergularia rupicola),[8] Scots lovage (Ligusticum scoticum) and sea purslane (Halimione portulacoides).

Big Copeland has recently held Northern Ireland's first successful breeding pair of Mediterranean gull.

Non-breeding eider form part of the nationally important population that occurs along the Outer Ards coast and Belfast Lough areas.

[16] On 31 January 1953, Princess Victoria, a British Transport Commission ferry sailing from Stranraer to Larne, sank off the Copeland Islands in a heavy storm with the loss of 135 lives.