Botha


Botha is a common Afrikaans surname, derived from the Friso-Saxon Both. It was brought to South Africa in 1678 by Frederich Botha. Botha roughly translates to "son of the leader" in Middle Dutch.
The progenitors of the extended clan were Maria Kickers, her first partner Ferdinandùs Appel, and her later husband Frederich Botha. Married in 1714, Kickers and Botha later farmed for a living between Stellenbosch and Somerset West. Today, their legal descendants number around 76,125 people, and including:
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: