Botha (pronounced /ˈbʊərtə/ in non-rhotic dialects of English, Afrikaans pronunciation: [ˈbuəta]) is a common Afrikaans surname, derived from the East Frisian Low Saxon Both. It was brought to South Africa in 1678 by Frederich Botha.^{[1][better source needed]}

The progenitors of the extended clan were Maria Kickers, her first partner Ferdinandùs Appel, and her later husband Frederich Botha.^[2]

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.^[1] This child, a son named Theunis, was later adopted by the Bothas. His descendants include:^[3]

• Louis Botha (1862–1919), Second Boer War general and 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

Married in 1714, Kickers and Botha later farmed for a living between Stellenbosch and Somerset West.^[1] Today, their legal descendants number around 76,125 people,^[3] and include:

• Danila Botha (born 1982), South African-born Canadian novelist
• Hannah Botha (1923-2007), South African actress
• Johan Botha (tenor) (1965–2016), opera singer
• Leon Botha (1985-2011), South African artist and progeria victim
• Mike Botha (born 1947), South African-born master diamond cutter
• Piet Botha (1955-2019), South African rock musician
• Roelof Botha (born 1973), South African actuary, former PayPal chief financial officer
• Willem Botha (born 1987), South African singer and actor

• Andries Botha (19th century), Khoikhoi leader in the Cape Colony
• Annie Botha (1864-1937), wife of the Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa
• Chris Botha (1864-1902), head of police and Boer War general, younger brother of Louis Botha
• Cornelius Botha (1932-2014), South African politician
• Philip Botha (1851-1901), Boer War general, older brother of Louis Botha
• Roelof Frederik "Pik" Botha (1932–2018), South African politician and diplomat
• Sandra Botha (born 1945), South African diplomat and ambassador
• Stoffel Botha (1929–1998), South African politician
• Theo Botha (born 1960), South African shareholder activist
• Thozamile Botha (born 1948), South African politician

• Arno Botha (born 1991), South African rugby player
• Bernado Botha (born 1988), South African rugby player
• Brendon James Botha (born 1980), South African rugby player
• Chrysander Botha (born 1988), Namibian rugby player
• Dolph Botha (Philip Rudolph, born 1993), South African rugby player
• Gary Botha (born 1981), South African rugby player
• Hendrik Egnatius "Naas" Botha (born 1958), South African rugby player
• John Philip "Bakkies" Botha (born 1979), South African rugby player
• Mouritz Botha (born 1982), South African rugby player
• Ruan Botha (born 1992), South African rugby player
• Tom Botha (born 1990), South African rugby player

• Andre Botha (cricketer) (born 1975), South African-born Irish cricketer
• Anthony Greyvensteyn Botha (born 1976), South African cricketer
• Beverly Botha (born 1953), South African female cricketer
• Dewald Botha (born 1991), South African cricketer
• Dawid Botha (born 1988), Namibian cricketer
• Johan Botha (cricketer) (born 1982), South African born Australian cricketer

• Adriaan Botha (sprinter) (born 1977), South African sprinter
• Andre Botha (bodyboarder) (born 1980), South African bodyboarder
• Bryony Botha (born 1997), New Zealand cyclist
• Francois Botha (born 1968), South African boxer
• Heidi Botha (born 1968), South African fencer
• Johan Botha (athlete) (born 1974), South African middle-distance runner
• Lukas "Luki" Botha (1930-2006), South African Formula One driver
• Riaan Botha (born 1970), South African pole vaulter
• Tyler Botha (born 1980), South African skeleton racer
• Wendy Botha (born 1965), South African-born Australian surfer

• Botha, village in the Lundazi district in Eastern Province, Zambia
• 1354 Botha, asteroid
• Anna Elizabeth Botha (née Rossouw, 1922-1997), wife of South African prime minister Pieter Willem Botha (1916-2006), so former South African first lady
• Blackburn Botha, Royal Air Force reconnaissance aircraft
• Botha, Alberta, Canadian settlement in Alberta
• Botha Sigcau (died 1978), 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's novels
• Louis Botha Avenue, Johannesburg street
• Mutro Botha, assassin in the television series Batman Beyond
• Regiment Botha, South African Army unit
• SATS General Botha, South African warship
• Bothanomics, program of economic reform of the then South African state president Pieter Willem Botha
• Bothasig, northern suburb of Cape Town
• Bothaville, town in the north-west of the Free State

Surname list

This page lists people with the surname Botha.
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