Surname Overview
Surname Attestation
The source lists “玛 (瑪)” as a currently rare surname and reports it in Wuqing of Tianjin, Burqin of Xinjiang, and Jinggu of Yunnan; the source also records it in an entry for a Han Chinese surname.
玛 Surname
Population reference (not a current census): 51Origins
Proposed Origins
The source’s origin section lists Kazakh and Mongolian origins. Its main text also says that the surname derives from a non-Han ethnic surname, and records the account that descendants of the Wa Jian'en clan adopted the name of one of two sons as a surname, one branch becoming the Ma surname; it also says this branch is alternatively written Ma (马) and has long lived in Ximeng, Yunnan. These are source-reported accounts and do not establish a single unified lineage.
Historical Records
Documentary Attestations
The source says that “玛” is included in Xinbian Qian Jia Xing and that the Surname Dictionary, citing Gujin Xingshi Shubianzheng, also includes it. The cited record reads “Yuan had Ma Si'er,” but the source explicitly questions whether “Ma Si'er” means the surname was Ma and the personal name Si'er, recording it only for reference pending examination.
Migration and Distribution
Distribution Records
The source additionally records the surname in Jiading of Shanghai, Ximeng of Yunnan, and Taipei and Pingtung in Taiwan. These are distribution records from the source; it provides no population figures or year-based census scope.
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