There are no Syeds in Malacca?

Prof. Syed Mohsin bin Syed Sahil Jamalullail (deceased 6 Nov 2011) said he had never heard of Syeds in Malacca. He said there are no Syeds who originated from Malacca. There are however non-Syed Arabs in Malacca.

Syed Sheikh Al-Hadi originated from Kampong Hulu in Malacca. Was he a Syed or not a Syed? How come he had an Arabic suffix in his name - al-Hadi? What does the suffix al-Hadi indicate?