# Ma (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/ma/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A common surname from Chinese of East Asian derivation.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Chinese |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 28,452 |
| US rank (2010) | 1,240 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 10,851 people |
| Change since 2000 | +50% (19,030 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Transcription of 馬／马 (mǎ).

## Who carries it

Share of people named Ma in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 3.1% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 0.5% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1.5% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 94% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.1% |
| Two or more races | 1.4% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Ma in the United States, Taiwan, Eastern Han, China and Eastern Wu.

## People named Ma

- Ma Ying-jeou, 12th and 13th President of Republic of China(Taiwan)
- Yo-Yo Ma, American cellist (born 1955)
- Ma Jun, 3rd century Chinese mechanical engineer
- Ma Dai, 3rd century State of Shu Han general
- Fiona Ma, American politician
- Ma Zhong
- Steve Ma, actor and television actor
- Tony Ma, American poker player

## Similar surnames

May, Mai, Mao, Mau, Mah, Miah, Maio, Miao, Maia, Maw, Mayo, Maya.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.