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Very many Norwegian family names stems from an estate or farm, and many of these names is descriptive relating to special charcteristic properties of the landscape. Examples: Haug , Ås (hill), Berg (rock, mountain), Vik (bay, creek), Skog (wood, forest) and many others. These kino names are among the oldest. Is is not surprising that such types of names can be found many places around the country.
As to ´Liland´ (pron. lee-land with the ´a as in ´after´) is a compound name of Li- which means hillside, and land, which of course means a piece of land. This name can also be found in other parts of Norway. There are two main farms with the name Liland - lower and upper Liland, and each of these have during the years been divided into several smaller farmsteads, each with their own name, but these are rarely used a family names.
In Norwegian the main original farm is called "gård" (pron. gawr), and the secondary, smaller parts called "bruk" (pron. brewk), and in the landregister consequently each poperty has a gårdsnummer and and bruksnummer - e.g. Gnr 72 Bnr 10.
In the US those with the name Liland changed it to Leland so that the American pronunciation should resemble the original one.