How common is the surname Ma?

28,452 people in the United States had the surname Ma in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 10,851 Americans. It ranked 1,240th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Ma?

Ma Ying-jeou, 12th and 13th President of Republic of China(Taiwan), followed by Yo-Yo Ma.

Where is the surname Ma most common?

Wikidata records people named Ma in the United States, Taiwan and Eastern Han and 2 other countries.

Is the surname Ma getting more or less common?

More common. 19,030 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 28,452 in 2010, up 50%.

The surname Ma

A Chinese surname, carried by 28,452 people in the United States.

1 syllable Soundex M000

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Ma is more common than 99.2% of them.

Origin

Chinese origin

Transcription of 馬／马 (mǎ).

One of 193 Chinese surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 28,452 people named Ma in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 10,851 Americans. That is up 50% since 2000, when the Census counted 19,030.

#1,240

rank among US surnames

28,452

people in 2010

9.7

per 100,000 Americans

+49.5%

change since 2000 (was #1,726)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#1,231	Chamberlain	28,727	10,748
#1,232	Fink	28,701	10,757
#1,233	Hollis	28,617	10,789
#1,234	Foreman	28,605	10,793
#1,235	Carranza	28,581	10,802
#1,236	Sharma	28,559	10,811
#1,237	Kern	28,547	10,815

Who is named Ma

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

94% of people named Ma identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, 3.1% as white (not Hispanic) and 1.5% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

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

Compare: most common surnames among Asian and Pacific Islander Americans.

Famous Mas

8 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Ma Ying-jeou
12th and 13th President of Republic of China(Taiwan), born 1950
Yo-Yo Ma
American cellist (born 1955)
Ma Jun
3rd century Chinese mechanical engineer, 200–265
Ma Dai
3rd century State of Shu Han general, 183–300
Fiona Ma
American politician, born 1966
Ma Zhong
200–300
Steve Ma
Actor and television actor, born 1962
Tony Ma
American poker player, born 1957

Notable Mas come mostly from the United States (3), Taiwan (2) and Eastern Han (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Surnames that sound like Ma

Ma has the Soundex code M000, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code M000.

Other Chinese surnames

All 193 Chinese surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Ma come from?: Transcription of 馬／马 (mǎ).
How common is the surname Ma?: 28,452 people in the United States had the surname Ma in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 10,851 Americans. It ranked 1,240th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Ma?: In the 2010 Census, 94% of people named Ma identified as Asian and Pacific Islander, and 3.1% as white (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Ma?: Ma Ying-jeou, 12th and 13th President of Republic of China(Taiwan), followed by Yo-Yo Ma.
Where is the surname Ma most common?: Wikidata records people named Ma in the United States, Taiwan and Eastern Han and 2 other countries.
Is the surname Ma getting more or less common?: More common. 19,030 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 28,452 in 2010, up 50%.