Ma (麻) is a Chinese surname. 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.Yuan Yida (袁义达), Qiu Jiaru, 邱家儒. 中国四百大姓. Beijing Book Co. Inc., 1 January 2013 It is the 135th name in the Hundred Family Surnames poem.K. S. Tom. (1989). Echoes from Old China: Life, Legends and Lore of the Middle Kingdom. University of Hawaii Press. .
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 Ma Ying (麻婴), an official in the state of Qi
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 References