[1] As of 2006, it ranks as the 14th most common Chinese surname in mainland China.

[2] A 2013 study found it to be the 13th most common, shared by 17,200,000 people or 1.290% of the population, with the province with the most being Henan.

Hui Muslims, Salars, Bonan and Dongxiang people commonly adopted Ma as the translation for their surname Mahmud / Muhammad.

[4][5][6][7] During the Ming dynasty, the Zhengde Emperor had a Uyghur concubine with the surname Ma.

[8][9] It is not to be confused with the less common surname Má (麻), which means "hemp.