Botha (pronounced in non-rhotic dialects of English, ) is a common
Afrikaans
Afrikaans (, ) is a West Germanic language that evolved in the Dutch Cape Colony from the Dutch vernacular of Holland proper (i.e., the Hollandic dialect) used by Dutch, French, and German settlers and their enslaved people. Afrikaans g ...
surname, derived from the
Friso-Saxon
Friso-Saxon ( nl, friso-saksisch) is a group of West Germanic dialects found around the North Sea coast of the Netherlands and Germany, in an area historically known as Frisia. They are dialects of Low German/Low Saxon which have experienced ...
''
Both''. It was brought to
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
in 1678 by Frederich Botha.
The progenitors of the extended clan were Maria Kickers, her first partner Ferdinandùs Appel, and her later husband Frederich Botha.
Descendants of Ferdinandùs Appel
Prior to her marriage to Frederich Botha, Maria Kickers had an out-of-wedlock child fathered by Ferdinandùs Appel, another Hollander from an Amsterdam family.
This child, a son named Theunis, was later adopted by the Bothas. His descendants include:
*
Louis Botha
Louis Botha (; 27 September 1862 – 27 August 1919) was a South African politician who was the first prime minister of the Union of South Africa – the forerunner of the modern South African state. A Boer war hero during the Second Boer War, ...
(1862–1919), first Prime Minister of South Africa, often referred to as "General Botha"
*
Pieter Willem "P.W." Botha (1916–2006), South African prime minister from 1978 to 1984 and state president from 1984 to 1989
Descendants of Frederich Botha
Married in 1714, Kickers and Botha later farmed for a living between
and
Somerset West
Somerset West ( af, Somerset-Wes) is a town in the Western Cape, South Africa. Organisationally and administratively it is included in the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality as a suburb of the Helderberg region (formerly called Hottent ...
.
Today, their legal descendants number around 76,125 people,
and include:
Artists, artisans and businesspeople
*
Danila Botha
Danila Botha is a Canadian author and novelist. She has published two short story collections, with a third to be published in 2024 and two novels, with the second to be published in 2025.
Personal life and work
Botha was born in Johannesbu ...
, South African-born Canadian novelist
*
Hannah Botha, South African actress
*
Johan Botha (tenor)
Johan Botha (19 August 1965 – 8 September 2016) was a South African operatic tenor.
Life and career
Born in Rustenburg, South Africa, Botha began his vocal training with Jarmilla Tellenger from the age of 10 through 17. He then served for ...
(1965–2016), opera singer
*
Leon Botha
Leon Botha (4 June 1985 – 5 June 2011) was a South African painter and disk jockey. He was known for his close association with the hip hop group Die Antwoord, as well as for being one of the world's longest-lived persons with progeria.
Biogr ...
, South African artist and progeria victim
*
Mike Botha, South African-born master diamond cutter
*
Piet Botha, South African rock musician
*
Roelof Botha
Roelof F. Botha (born 19 September 1973) is a South African actuary, venture capitalist and company director.
Botha is a partner at Sequoia Capital and as of 2022 sits on the boards of MongoDB, Evernote, Bird, Ethos, Natera, Square, Unity, ...
, South African actuary, former PayPal chief financial officer
*
Willem Botha
Willem () is a Dutch and West FrisianRienk de Haan, ''Fryske Foarnammen'', Leeuwarden, 2002 (Friese Pers Boekerij), , p. 158. masculine given name. The name is Germanic, and can be seen as the Dutch equivalent of the name William in English, ...
, South African singer and actor
Politicians, civil servants, and activists
*
Andries Botha, Khoikhoi leader in the Cape Colony
*
Annie Botha, wife of the Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa
*
Cornelius Botha
Cornelius "Con" Botha (18 September 1932 – 6 February 2014) was a South African politician and the last administrator of the Natal Province.
Born in Upington in the Northern Cape, Botha grew up in Parys in the Free State province. He graduate ...
, South African politician
*
Roelof Frederik "Pik" Botha (1932–2018), South African politician and diplomat
*
Sandra Botha, South African diplomat and ambassador
*
Stoffel Botha
Jan Christoffel Greyling "Stoffel" Botha (1929–1998) was a South African politician, a member of the National Party, served as member of Parliament (elected representative of the Eshowe constituency in 1974), administrator of Natal Province ...
, South African politician
*
Theo Botha
Theophilous James Bennett "Theo" Botha (born 1 March 1960) is a South African shareholder activist.
He has queried many companies in the area of good corporate governance,
ethics,
executive compensation,
environmental practic ...
, South African shareholder activist
*
Thozamile Botha
Thozamile Botha (born 16 June 1948) is a South African politician.Naki, Eric. "Shock as Botha Decides to Quit." The Daily Dispatch. 16 Oct. 1997. Web. 27 Oct. 2010. . He started his political career as a trade unionist and was an executive member ...
, South African politician
Rugby players
*
Arno Botha, South African rugby player
*
Bernado Botha
Bernado Carl Botha (born 4 July 1988) is a South African professional rugby union player who last played for the in the Currie Cup. He has been playing first class rugby since 2009 and was a regular member of the South Africa Sevens team betwe ...
, South African rugby player
*
Brendon James Botha, South African rugby player
*
Chrysander Botha, Namibian rugby player
*
Gary Botha
Gary van Ginkel Botha (born 12 October 1981 in Pretoria, South Africa) is a former rugby union player, that professionally played as a hooker between 2002 and 2013. He spent the majority of his career at his home-town team the and their affi ...
, South African rugby player
*
Hendrik Egnatius "Naas" Botha, South African rugby player
*
John Philip "Bakkies" Botha, South African rugby player
*
Mouritz Botha, South African rugby player
*
Ruan Botha, South African rugby player
*
Tom Botha
Tom Botha (born 31 August 1990) is a South African rugby union player, currently playing with the in Wales for the Welsh Pro14. His regular position is tighthead prop.
Rugby career
2008 : Schools rugby
He represented at the 2008 Under-18 Ac ...
, South African rugby player
Cricketers
*
Andre Botha (cricketer) (born 1975), South African-born Irish cricketer
*
Anthony Greyvensteyn Botha, South African cricketer
*
Beverly Botha, South African female cricketer
*
Dewald Botha
Dewald Botha (born 23 September 1991) is a South African cricketer who currently plays for Boland. He is a right-handed batsman and right-arm off break bowler. Botha made his first-class debut on 10 February 2011 against Northerns. He was incl ...
, South African cricketer
*
Dawid Botha
Dawid Hercules Botha (born 1 July 1988) is a Namibian cricketer, who has played for Namibia's national cricket team. He is a right-handed batsman. He has represented Namibia's national team in first-class cricket since 2006. He had previously re ...
, Namibian cricketer
*
Johan Botha (cricketer)
Johan Botha (born 2 May 1982) is a South African-Australian cricket coach, cricketer and long-distance runner, who played for the South African national team between 2005 and 2012. He moved to Australia in 2012 to play in that country's dome ...
(born 1982), South African born Australian cricketer
Other sportspersons
*
Adriaan Botha Adriaan Botha may refer to:
* Adriaan Botha (sprinter)
* Adriaan Botha (SAAF officer)
See also
* Riaan Botha, South African pole vaulter
{{hndis, Botha, Adriaan ...
, South African sprinter
*
Andre Botha (bodyboarder)
Andre Botha is a South African bodyboarder
Bodyboarding is a water sport in which the surfer rides a bodyboard on the crest, face, and curl of a wave which is carrying the surfer towards the shore. Bodyboarding is also referred to as ''Boogie ...
(born 1980), South African bodyboarder
*
Francois Botha, South African boxer
*
Heidi Botha
Heidi Botha (born 7 November 1968) is a South African fencer. She competed in the women's individual foil event at the 1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympics ( es, Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992, ca, Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de ...
, South African fencer
*
Johan Botha (athlete) (born 1974), South African middle distance runner
*
Lukas "Luki" Botha, South African Formula One driver
*
Riaan Botha
Riaan Botha (born 8 November 1970 in Pretoria) is a retired South African pole vaulter.
His personal best is 5.91 metres, achieved in April 1997 in Pretoria. This places him second on the African all-time performers list, behind fellow South Afri ...
, South African pole vaulter
*
Tyler Botha
Tyler Reinnier Botha (born 3 December 1980) is a South African skeleton (sport), skeleton racer who competed from 2003 to 2006. He finished 21st in the men's skeleton event at the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin and was the flag bearer for the Sout ...
, South African skeleton racer
*
Wendy Botha, South African-born Australian surfer
Other uses
*Botha, village in the
Lundazi district in Eastern Province, Zambia
*
1354 Botha
1354 Botha, provisional designation , is an exceptionally dark background asteroid from the outer regions of the asteroid belt, approximately 46 kilometers in diameter. It was discovered on 3 April 1935, by South-African astronomer Cyril Jackson ...
, asteroid
*
Anna Elizabeth Botha
Anna Elizabeth Botha (; 6 May 1922 – 6 June 1997) was the First Lady of South Africa, as the wife of State President Pieter Willem Botha, from 1984 to 1989. From 1978 to 1984 Botha served as Prime Minister of South Africa.
Anna Elizabeth Ross ...
(née ''Rossouw''), former South African first lady
*
Blackburn Botha, Royal Air Force reconnaissance aircraft
*
Botha, Alberta
Botha is a hamlet in central Alberta, Canada within the County of Stettler No. 6. It is located approximately east of Red Deer and east of Stettler.
History
The community was founded in 1909 around the train station named after Louis Botha. ...
, Canadian settlement in Alberta
*
Botha Sigcau, former President of Transkei
*
Botha's Hill, South African settlement in KwaZulu-Natal
*
Botha's lark (''Spizocorys fringillaris''), a South African lark
*Gunther Botha, South African mercenary in Matthew Reilly's ''
Area 7''
*Jaapie Botha, fictional South African Police officer in the film ''
The Power of One''
*Karl Botha, fictional counterfeiter from
Pepetela
Artur Carlos Maurício Pestana dos Santos (born 1941) is a major Angolan writer of fiction. He writes under the name Pepetela.
A Portuguese Angolan, Pepetela was born in Benguela, Portuguese Angola, and fought as a member of the MPLA in the long ...
's novels
*
Louis Botha Avenue, Johannesburg street
*Mutro Botha, assassin in the television series ''
Batman Beyond
''Batman Beyond'' (known as ''Batman of the Future'' outside the United States) is an American superhero animated television series developed by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, and Alan Burnett. It was produced by Warner Bros. Animation in collaborati ...
''
*
Regiment Botha, South African Army unit
*SATS
''General Botha'', South African warship
References
{{surname
Surnames
Afrikaans-language surnames
Surnames of Frisian origin
South African families