Ma

This surname is also used by Chinese Muslims (i.e. Hui, Salars, Bonan, Uyghurs, and Dongxiang), with an estimated 9 out of 10 Chinese bearing the name professing to Islam. It is considered the most common Hui surname, with its origins tracing back to the Ming dynasty when Muslims were forced to adopt a Chinese surname. In the sense of Chinese Muslim usage, it can be interpreted as a short form of the Arabic names 'Mahmud' (محمود) or 'Muhammad' (محمد), as many Muslims in China use shortened forms of Arabic or Qur'anic names as surnames. In Xiao'erjing, the Perso-Arabic script used to write Chinese by Chinese Muslims, Ma is written as "ﻣَﺎ".
- http://www.academia.edu/18228370/Chinese_Muslims_Who_Are_They (under "Family Names")
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_(surname)
- http://chinesesurnames.blogspot.com/2005/07/Ma-chinese-surname-Ma3-beh-mah.html?m=1
- https://books.google.com/books?id=wEih57-GWQQC&pg=PA79&lpg=PA79&dq=Ma%27+is+the+most+common+surname+among+Hui+Muslims+in+China, +tracing+its+origins+to+the+Ming&source=bl&ots=14SR93TDYe&sig=r9OJ2sgouuXym3pNIhqFXRyVjjU&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwizmOCD85zZAhXG8YMKHZaEDiMQ6AEwA3oECAcQAQ#v=onepage&q=Ma'%20is%20the%20most%20common%20surname%20among%20Hui%20Muslims%20in%20China%2C%20tracing%20its%20origins%20to%20the%20Ming&f=false

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Some Chinese Muslim bearers:
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_Hongbin
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_Wanfu
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_Bufang
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_Ruifang
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_Sanli
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ma_Yue