Ma (surname)

Ma (simplified Chinese: 马; traditional Chinese: 馬; pinyin: Mǎ) is a Chinese family name. The surname literally means "horse". It is one of the most common family names in China. As of 2006, it ranks as the 14th most common Chinese surname in Mainland China and the most common surname within the Chinese Muslim community, specifically the Hui people, Dongxiang people, and Salar people. However, this surname should not be identified with the Korean surname 'Ma' (마) which has the same pronunciation with the Chinese 'Ma' but has its own distinct history.

The offspring of Zhao She adopted "Ma" (馬), the first word of the district Ma Fu, as their surname. Variant spellings of "Ma" include Mah, Beh and Mar.

Hui Muslims, Salars, Bonan and Dongxiang people commonly adopted Ma as the translation for their surname Muhammad. for e.g. Ma Jian, Ma Benzhai, Ma clique.

During the Ming dynasty, the Zhengde Emperor had a Uyghur concubine with the surname Ma.

Notable people