Maitland as a Baby Name. Meaning and Origin of Maitland

What is the meaning of the name Maitland ?

The baby name Maitland is a Male name , 2 syllables long and is pronounced MAYT-lənd (IPA: /ˈmeɪtlənd/), also pronounced MAYT-land (IPA: /ˈmeɪtland/).

Maitland is Scottish in Origin.

Maitland is a Scottish surname-turned-given name of Anglo-Norman origin. It derives from Old French mal talent, meaning ill will or bad temper, a sobriquet that became a hereditary surname after the Norman Conquest. In Scotland the form softened by folk etymology to Maitland and became tied to the influential Lowland Maitland family, later the Earls of Lauderdale, with attestations from the 1200s.

As a first name, Maitland emerged in the 19th century under the British fashion for adopting aristocratic surnames, seeing use in Scotland, England, and across the Commonwealth. It is chiefly masculine but occasionally unisex today. Historical variants of the surname include de Mautalent and Maltalent; modern alternate spellings are uncommon, though the clipped pet form Mait appears. The name conveys a polished, patrician tone, while its etymology points to a once-playful nickname for a quick-tempered forebear.