Ma Surname

Surname Overview

Surname Origin

The Ma surname originated from the Ying surname and branched from the Zhao lineage.

Reference: 马姓起源分布与家谱家族

Origins

Early Lineage

Its remote ancestry is traced to Shaohao of the Jintian clan in the era of the Five Emperors. Boyi was granted the Ying surname for helping Yu control the floods; after Zaofu was enfeoffed at Zhaocheng, his descendants adopted the fief name as their surname. After Zhao She was granted the title Marquis of Mafu, his descendants adopted Ma as their surname.

Reference: 马姓起源分布与家谱家族

Ethnic Distribution

The Ma surname includes elements from non-Han groups. During the Tang and Song periods, many people from the Western Regions and Huihui people from the Middle East who entered China adopted Ma as a Han surname; Ma became the largest surname among contemporary Hui people.

Reference: 马姓起源分布与家谱家族

Migration and Distribution

Historical Migration

The Ma surname was initially active in southern Hebei, moved to Shaanxi with migration during the early Qin dynasty, and developed around Xingping in Shaanxi. It entered Guizhou from Hunan by the Eastern Han, spread across areas north of the Yangtze and the southwest by the Northern and Southern Dynasties, expanded into Fujian and Guangdong during the Tang and Song periods, and entered Taiwan in the early Qing dynasty.

Reference: 马姓起源分布与家谱家族

Contemporary Distribution

Among Ma-surname users in 23Mofang genetic-testing data, registered ancestral origins are mainly distributed in Shandong, Hebei, and Jiangsu, accounting for 10.9%, 7.9%, and 7.4% respectively.

Reference: 马姓起源分布与家谱家族

Genealogy and Generation Names

Ma Family Statistics

The 23Mofang family database currently includes 458 Ma-surname families, distributed across 29 provinces.

Reference: 马姓起源分布与家谱家族