Maitland
A Scottish surname most often linked to a place-name meaning “meadow land,” though some older writers proposed other local explanations.
The #9,919 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 94,824 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The usual explanation is that Maitland comes from a place-name meaning “meadow land,” from Old English roots for meadow and land. Some 19th-century writers also suggested a different local origin connected with a place in or near Edinburgh and its later corruption into Maitland. A few older authorities speculated about a folk-etymological link with “wormy land,” but that is generally treated as less likely.
History
The name is long associated with the noble Maitlands of southern Scotland, especially Berwickshire and the Lauderdale family. Historical references place the family in the Scottish south-east by at least the 13th century. The surname later spread beyond Scotland through migration and public prominence, including scholars such as the historian F. W. Maitland.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
An old source even proposed a very odd folk-etymology—“the wormy land”—before the meadow-land explanation became the standard one.
From the historical record
“V. Maggs MAITLAND (Scot.-Eng.) Bel. to Maitland (Haddington), prob. = ' the Meadow- land' [O.E. mckd-land] if not 'the Wormy Land ' [O.E. ma'Sa (Ger. made) worm, maggot + land] MAJOR (Lat.) Greater, Bigger [Lat. major, comp. of magnus] Cp. Mayor MAKEPEACE (A.-Fr.-Lat.) Peacemaker,”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)