Stowupland means "a place occupied on higher ground than Stowmarket",[2] with the Saxons calling the village Ultuna due to the far higher presence of owls in the woods that previously stood on the site of Holy Trinity Church ('Ul' meaning owl).

Stowupland is centred on several village greens and has numerous amenities including, a petrol station, a butchers, a Chinese takeaway, a chip shop and two public houses - The Crown and The Retreat.

A lottery grant funded gym and indoor sports facility is available for public use at the high school.

A monthly magazine, "The Telstar", is delivered free to every household and contains reports from parish and local council as well as various articles from residents, clubs and churches in the village.

Stowupland previously hosted an event (Music on The Green) which took place in June each year.