Ma (surname 麻) explained

Ma (麻) is a Chinese surname.^[1] According to a 2013 study, it was the 253rd most common name in China; it was shared by 330,000 people, or 0.025% of the population, being most popular in Zhejiang.^[2] It is the 135th name in the Hundred Family Surnames poem.^[3]

It should not be confused with Mǎ (马/馬) ("horse"), one of the most common surnames in China.

Origins

The character 麻 denotes a plant, usually hemp, sesame or flax. The surname is traced to the Spring and Autumn Period (8th–5th centuries BC), being derived from either of:

• Ma (麻), the name of a fief located in Macheng, Hubei, which was granted to an official of the state of Chu^[4]
• Ma Ying (麻婴), an official in the state of Qi^[5]

Notable people

• Ma Qiu (麻秋,), Later Zhao and Former Qin general
• Ma Gui (麻贵, 1543–1617), Ming general
• Ma Zhenjun (麻振军, born 1962), PLAAF general
• Xiaonan Ma (麻小南, born 1962), mathematician
• Ma Jingyi (麻敬宜, born 1995), curler
• Sanggok Ma clan, a Korean clan

Notes and References

1. Book: 羊姓史话. February 23, 2001. 江西人民出版社. 9787210024453 . Google Books.
2. [Yuan Yida]
3. K. S. Tom. [1989] (1989). Echoes from Old China: Life, Legends and Lore of the Middle Kingdom. University of Hawaii Press. .
4. Web site: Ma Surname Meaning & Ma Family History at Ancestry.com®. www.ancestry.com.
5. https://en.geneanet.org/surnames/MA#:~:text=2%3A%20Chinese%3A%20Mandarin%20or,(770%E2%80%93476%20BC).