Explore the Family Name Botha
The meaning of Botha
Afrikaans: altered form of German Both and Bode, apparently with the addition of the Frisian genitive plural ending -a. History: The progenitor of many of the Bothas was Friedrich Both, born in 1653 in Wangenheim, Germany, who arrived in the Dutch Cape Colony as a soldier in 1678. He begun writing his surname as Botha in 1699. The mother of his children was Maria Kickers, who also had an out-of-wedlock son with her first partner Ferdinandus Appel. From this son, Theunis, who was later adopted by Friedrich Botha, descended two famous South African statesmen, Louis Botha (1862–1919) and Pieter Willem Botha (1916–2006). The rest of the Bothas reportedly trace their origin to Samuel Friedrich Bode, born in 1730 in Lüneburg, Germany, who arrived in the Dutch Cape Colony as a soldier in 1767. His surname was recorded as Botha for the first time in 1776.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Botha in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Botha has seen a significant increase in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, the surname ranked 66,073 and had a count of 280 individuals. By 2010, Botha moved up to rank 48,628 with a count of 434 individuals, showing a 26.4% rise in rank and a 55% increase in count. Furthermore, the proportion of people with the surname per 100,000 increased by 50%, moving from 0.1 in 2000 to 0.15 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #66,073 | #48,628 | 26.4% |
| Count | 280 | 434 | 55% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.1 | 0.15 | 50% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Botha
The ethnic identity associated with the surname Botha also experienced shifts between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. The majority of individuals with this surname identified as White in both years, although there was a slight increase from 86.43% in 2000 to 90.09% in 2010. The percentage identifying as two or more ethnicities decreased from 8.57% to 4.84%. There were also small increases in Asian/Pacific Islander and Hispanic identifications, up from zero in 2000 to 1.38% and 1.61% respectively in 2010. American Indian and Alaskan Native identifications remained at zero, while those identifying as Black slightly decreased from 2.14% to 2.07%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 86.43% | 90.09% | 4.23% |
| Two or More Races | 8.57% | 4.84% | -43.52% |
| Black | 2.14% | 2.07% | -3.27% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 1.61% | 0% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 1.38% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |