The 19^th most common last name in China. The name Ma came from the last name Zhao. During the period of Zhan Guo (475 221 B.C.), Zhao She of the Zhao kingdom was a local tax officer. Although his ranking was low, he was righteous and not afraid of power. When the royal family of Zhao refused to pay tax, Zhao She killed nine servants of the family who were in charge of the tax money. Because of this, Ping Yuan Jun was mad at Zhao She, wanted to kill him. Zhao She replied, "You are the head of the Zhao family and you supported your servants in evading tax. Without the law, the kingdom will come to an end; and without the kingdom, you are nobody!" Ping Yuan Jun was touched by his reply and recommended him to the king to be in charge of the countrys tax. In deed, Zhao She managed the tax wisely and the country became stronger. Later, on their way to attack the Han kingdom, Qin deployed their army to Zhaos territory. The king of Zhao summoned all his officials and discussed how to help the Han Kingdom. Generals, Lian Po and Le Cheng thought that the road was to narrow and advised against attacking the Qin army. Zhao on the other hand, advised otherwise. He said, "Fighting the Qing army in a tight space is like asking two mice to dual it out in a small cave; the brave will win." Zhaos king was impressed by Zhao Shes courage and asked him to lead the Zhao army against Qin. The Qin army was badly defeated and Zhao She was awarded the title of Ma Fu. The descendents of Zhao She bore the name of Ma, and Zhao She is known as the forefather of the Ma family. (Ma means horse).

Dong Han- Ma Wu, Ma Yuan (generals)

Three Kingdoms- Ma Chao, Ma Lei (generals)

Tang Dynasty- Ma Zhi, Ma Zhou (prime ministers)

Bei Song Dynasty- Ma Ling (pirate)

Qing Dynasty- Ma Xianbo (early Christian)