Scottish and English: of uncertain origin, possibly a nickname for an ungracious individual, from Anglo-Norman French maltalent, mautalent ‘bad temper’ (Late Latin malum ‘bad’ + talentum ‘inclination’, ‘disposition’). However, there is a place called Mautalant in Pontorson, France, which was named for its unproductive soil, and this may well be a partial source of the surname, particularly in Scotland where many historical examples of the name are written with the preposition de. The present spelling is the result of a contracted pronunciation and folk etymological identification with the common topographic element land.