Ma (surname)


Ma is a Chinese family name. The surname literally means 'horse'. As of 2006, it ranks as the 14th most common Chinese surname in mainland China. In 2019 it was the 13th most common surname in mainland China. A 2013 study found it to be the 13th most common, shared by 17,200,000 people or 1.290% of the population, with the province with the most being Henan. It is the 52nd name on the Hundred Family Surnames poem.
From He adopted name "Ma", the first word of the district Ma Fu, as their surname. Other romanizations include Mah, Beh, and Mar.
Hui Muslims, Salars, Bonan and Dongxiang people commonly adopted Ma as the translation for their surname Mahmud / Muhammad.
During the Ming dynasty, the Zhengde Emperor had a Uyghur concubine with the surname Ma.
It is not to be confused with the less common surname Má, which means 'hemp'.

Notable people

  • Ma Yuan, Chinese military general and politician of the Eastern Han dynasty
  • Ma Zhou, Chinese politician who served as a chancellor during the reign of Emperor Taizong in the Tang dynasty
  • Ma He, Chinese admiral and explorer
  • Ma Huan, Chinese explorer, translator, and travel writer
  • Ma Dong-seok known as Don Lee, American actor
  • Ma Tianyu also known Ray Ma, Chinese mandopop singer and actor of Hui ethnicity
  • Ma Wing-shing, Hong Kong manhua artist, writer and publisher
  • Ma Jian, Chinese-born British writer
  • Ma Haide, American doctor
  • Ma Hailong, Chinese snooker player
  • Ma Xuejun, Chinese discus thrower
  • Ma Yunwen, Chinese volleyball player
  • Ma Yibo, Chinese field hockey player
  • Ma Yanhong, Chinese Olympic athlete
  • Ma Qinghua, Chinese motorsports racing driver
  • Ma Zhaoxu, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of People's Republic of China
  • Ma Xiaowei, former Minister of China's National Health Commission
  • Ma Wen, Chinese politician, currently serving as the Chair of the National People's Congress Internal and Judicial Affairs Committee
  • Ma Wen-chun, Taiwanese politician
  • Ma Xiaohui, erhu player and composer from Shanghai, People's Republic of China
  • Ma Gui, Chinese martial artist
  • Ma Jun, Chinese environmentalist
  • Yi Ma, professor in Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley
  • Ma Chih-hung, Taiwanese luger
  • Ma Yansong, principal architect and founder of MAD Architects
  • Ma Liuming, Chinese painter
  • Ma Yashu, Chinese actress
  • Ma Yili, Chinese actress
  • Ma Li, Chinese actress
  • Ma Xinrui, Chinese actress and model
  • Ma Sichun, Chinese actress
  • Ma Ke, Chinese actor
  • Ma Prem Hasya, French-American follower of Rajneesh who served as his personal secretary
  • Ma Anand Sheela, Indian-Swiss woman who was the spokesperson of the Rajneesh movement
  • Ma Jianzhong, Chinese official and scholar in the late Qing dynasty
  • Ma Anliang, Qing dynasty and National Revolutionary Army general
  • Mah Bow Tan , Singaporean politician
  • Ma Chao, Shu Han general during the Three Kingdoms period
  • Ma Che Kong, Hong Kong badminton player
  • Ma Ching-chiang, Republic of China Army general
  • Ma Dahan, Dongxiang anti-Qing dynasty rebel
  • Ma Dai, Shu Han general in the Three Kingdoms period
  • Yusuf Ma Dexin, Qing dynasty Islamic scholar
  • Edward Ma, member of the electronica band Glitch Mob
  • Henry C. Ma, chief commissioner of the Scout Association of Hong Kong
  • Ma Hualong, head of the Chinese Sufi order Jahriyya and one of the leaders of the Dungan revolt
  • Ma Huateng, entrepreneur and founder of Tencent
  • Jack Ma, internet entrepreneur and executive chairman of Alibaba Group
  • Ma Yinchu, Chinese economist
  • James Ma, Thai actor
  • Jeff Ma, former member of the MIT Blackjack Team
  • Ma Jianrong, Chinese executive in the textile industry; chairman of Shenzhou International Group Holdings Limited
  • Ma Jin, badminton player
  • Ma Jun, Cao Wei mechanical engineer and official in the Three Kingdoms period
  • Ma Jun, environmentalist, non-fiction writer and journalist
  • Ma Junren, Chinese track and field coach
  • Ma Laichi, founder of the Chinese Sufi Khufiyya movement
  • Ma Lik , former Hong Kong Legislative Councillor and chairman of the pro-Beijing Democratic Alliance for Betterment of Hong Kong
  • Ma Zhong, Chinese military general and politician of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China
  • Ma Lin, retired Chinese table tennis player and the current Chinese Women's Team Head Coach
  • Ma Wenge, Chinese table tennis player
  • Ma Yexin, Chinese tennis player
  • Ma Linyi, Minister of Education in Gansu province under the Nationalist Government
  • Ma Liyan, Chinese female long-distance runner
  • Ma Zhenxia, Chinese racewalker
  • Ma Long, table tennis player, ranked first as of March 2013 in the International Table Tennis Federation
  • Mary Ma, businesswoman
  • Ma Mingyu, Chinese footballer and national team captain in the 2002 FIFA World Cup
  • Ma Mingxin, founder of the Chinese Sufi order Jahriyya
  • Ma Ning, Chinese football referee
  • Ma Ning, Chinese field hockey player
  • Ma Qinghua, racing driver
  • Qingyun Ma, Chinese architect
  • Ma Qixi, founder of the Xidaotang
  • Rebecca Ma, American businesswoman, socialite, and social media personality
  • Ma Ruifang, author, scholar and professor at Shandong University's School of Literature
  • Ma Sanli, comedian
  • Shang-keng Ma, Chinese theoretical physicist
  • Ma Shaowu, member of the Xinjiang clique in the ROC era
  • Ma Shenglin, Qing dynasty rebel who participated in the Panthay Rebellion
  • Ma Sicong, violinist and composer
  • Ma Su, Shu Han general in the Three Kingdoms period
  • Ma Teng, Eastern Han dynasty warlord
  • Ma Liang, official serving under the warlord during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China
  • Tzi Ma , Chinese American actor
  • Ma Wanfu, Dongxiang anti-Qing dynasty rebel and founder of the Yihewani movement
  • Ma Weiming, Chinese naval engineer
  • Ma Xiaochun, professional weiqi player
  • Ma Xiaonian, physician and sexologist
  • Ma Xinyi, Qing dynasty official and general
  • Ma Yansong, architect
  • Ma Ying-jeou , President of the Republic of China
  • Yo-Yo Ma , French American cellist
  • Ma Yuan, Eastern Han dynasty general
  • Ma Yuan, Song dynasty painter
  • Ma Yuanzhang, member of the Chinese Sufi order Jahriyya
  • Ma Yutao, Chinese opera singer and military general
  • Ma Zhanhai, NRA general who participated in the Sino-Tibetan War
  • Ma Zhanshan, NRA general who fought in the Second Sino-Japanese War
  • Banharn Silpa-archa , Prime Minister of Thailand from 1995 to 1996
  • Empress Ma, empress during the Eastern Han dynasty
  • Empress Ma, member of the House of Zhu, Hongwu Emperor's wife
  • Empress Ma, Jianwen Emperor's wife
  • Ma Chia-ling, Taiwanese singer and member of AKB48
  • Ma clique, in the Qing dynasty and the Republic of China era
  • Mokcheon Ma clan, one of the Korean clans
  • Sanggok Ma clan, one of the Korean clans
  • Hyejong of Goryeo, known as Wang Mu, the second king of the Goryeo dynasty of Korea
  • Mu of Balhae, known as King Mu, the second king of the Balhae
  • Mu of Baekje, the 30th King of Baekje, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea
  • Mah Chonggi, Korean poet
  • Ma Kwang-soo, South Korean poet, professor in Korean literature, novelist and essayist
  • Ma Jae-yoon, a.k.a. Savior, former professional South Korean e-sports gamer of the real-time strategy game StarCraft
  • Ma Jung-kil, South Korean sidearm relief pitcher
  • Ma Sang-hoon, South Korean professional footballer
  • Ma Hae-young, retired South Korean professional baseball infielder
  • Dong Hyun Ma, South Korean mixed martial artist who most recently competed in the UFC's lightweight division
  • Yoo Da-in, born Ma Young-seon, South Korean actress
  • Ma Chul-jun, South Korean former footballer and manager
  • Ma Bufang
  • Ma Bukang
  • Ma Buqing
  • Ma Biao
  • Ma Chengxiang
  • Ma Dunjing
  • Ma Dunjing
  • Ma Fulu
  • Ma Fushou
  • Ma Fuxiang
  • Ma Fuxing
  • Ma Fuyuan
  • Ma Guoliang
  • Ma Haiyan
  • Ma Hongbin
  • Ma Hongkui
  • Ma Hushan
  • Ma Jiyuan
  • Ma Lin
  • Ma Qi
  • Ma Qianling
  • Ma Julong
  • Ma Sheng-kuei
  • Ma Shouzhen
  • Ma Zhan'ao
  • Ma Zhancang
  • Ma Zhongying
  • Ma Xizhen
  • Bertha Hosang Mah, Canadian student
  • Theresa Mah, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives
  • Michelle Mah, Korean-American chef
  • Leslie Mah, American musician
  • Bowinn Ma, Canadian politician
  • Fiona Ma, American politician and member of the California State Assembly
  • Frederick Ma, Chinese businessman from Hong Kong
  • Geoffrey Ma, judge from Hong Kong, China
  • Jack Ma or Ma Yun, Chinese business magnate, philanthropist, internet and technology entrepreneur, founder and executive chairman of Alibaba Group
  • Jaeson Ma, American entrepreneur
  • James Ma, Thai actor
  • Jie Ma, traditional Chinese musician
  • Kenneth Ma, Chinese Canadian actor
  • Qingyun Ma, Chinese architect
  • Sire Ma, Chinese actress
  • Sora Ma, Malaysian born Singaporean actress
  • Stanley Ma, Canadian-Quebecois businessman of Chinese origin and founder and President of MTY Food Group
  • Steve Ma, Chinese actor from Taiwan
  • Steven Ma, Chinese actor and singer
  • Tzi Ma, Chinese-American character actor
  • Wu Ma, Chinese actor, director, producer
  • Victor Ma, Chinese-American singer, songwriter, rapper, and actor

    Westernized-style surname

  • Bertha Hosang Mah, Canadian student
  • Theresa Mah, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives
  • Michelle Mah, Korean-American chef
  • Leslie Mah, American musician
  • Bowinn Ma, Canadian politician
  • Fiona Ma, American politician and member of the California State Assembly
  • Frederick Ma, Chinese businessman from Hong Kong
  • Geoffrey Ma, judge from Hong Kong, China
  • Jaeson Ma, American entrepreneur
  • James Ma, Thai actor
  • Jie Ma, traditional Chinese musician
  • Jianjie Ma, American researcher and academic
  • Kenneth Ma, Chinese Canadian actor
  • Michael Ma, Canadian politician
  • Qingyun Ma, Chinese architect
  • Sire Ma, Chinese actress
  • Sora Ma, Malaysian born Singaporean actress
  • Stanley Ma, Canadian-Quebecois businessman of Chinese origin and founder and President of MTY Food Group
  • Steve Ma, Chinese actor from Taiwan
  • Steven Ma, Chinese actor and singer
  • Tzi Ma, Chinese-American character actor
  • Wu Ma, Chinese actor, director, producer
  • Victor Ma, Chinese-American singer, songwriter, rapper, and actor