Many people of

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...

an heritage in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

are descended from

Huguenot The Huguenots ( , also , ) were a religious group of French Protestants who held to the Reformed, or Calvinist, tradition of Protestantism. The term, which may be derived from the name of a Swiss political leader, the Genevan burgomaster Be ...

s. Most of these originally settled in the

Cape Colony The Cape Colony ( nl, Kaapkolonie), also known as the Cape of Good Hope, was a British Empire, British colony in present-day South Africa named after the Cape of Good Hope, which existed from 1795 to 1802, and again from 1806 to 1910, when i ...

, but were absorbed into the Afrikaner and

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 gra ...

-speaking population, because they had religious similarities to the Dutch colonists.

Early arrivals

Even before the large-scale arrival of the Huguenots at the

Cape of Good Hope The Cape of Good Hope ( af, Kaap die Goeie Hoop ) ;''Kaap'' in isolation: pt, Cabo da Boa Esperança is a rocky headland on the Atlantic coast of the Cape Peninsula in South Africa. A common misconception is that the Cape of Good Hope is t ...

in the 17th century, a small number of individual Huguenot refugees settled there. They included Francois Villion, later known as

Viljoen Viljoen is an Afrikaans surname, derived from the French ''Villion''. It was brought to South Africa in 1671 by French Huguenots who subsequently intermarried with the local Dutch population. The progenitors of the extended Viljoen clan are Fran� ...

, and the du Toit brothers. In fact, the first Huguenot to arrive at the Cape of Good Hope was

Maria de la Quellerie Maria van Riebeeck (née de la Queillerie; 28 October 1629 – 2 November 1664) was a French Huguenot who was the first wife of Jan van Riebeeck, the Dutch colonial administrator and first commander of the settlement at the Cape. Life She ...

, the wife of governor Jan van Riebeeck, who started the settlement at the Cape of Good Hope in 1652 on behalf of the

Dutch East India Company The United East India Company ( nl, Verenigde Oostindische Compagnie, the VOC) was a chartered company established on the 20th March 1602 by the States General of the Netherlands amalgamating existing companies into the first joint-stock ...

; however, she and her husband left for Batavia after ten years. After a commissioner was sent out from the Cape Colony in 1685 to attract more settlers, a more dedicated group of immigrants began to arrive. A larger number of French refugees began to arrive in the Cape after leaving their country as a result of the

Edict of Fontainebleau The Edict of Fontainebleau (22 October 1685) was an edict issued by French King Louis XIV and is also known as the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes. The Edict of Nantes (1598) had granted Huguenots the right to practice their religion without s ...

(1685), which revoked the

Edict of Nantes The Edict of Nantes () was signed in April 1598 by King Henry IV and granted the Calvinist Protestants of France, also known as Huguenots, substantial rights in the nation, which was in essence completely Catholic. In the edict, Henry aimed pr ...

(1598) that had granted

religious toleration Religious toleration may signify "no more than forbearance and the permission given by the adherents of a dominant religion for other religions to exist, even though the latter are looked on with disapproval as inferior, mistaken, or harmful". ...

Protestants Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

Mass migration

On 31 December 1687 a group of Huguenots set sail from France as the first of the large scale emigration of Huguenots to the

, which took place during 1688 and 1689. In total some 180 Huguenots from France, and 18

Walloons Walloons (; french: Wallons ; wa, Walons) are a Gallo-Romance ethnic group living native to Wallonia and the immediate adjacent regions of France. Walloons primarily speak '' langues d'oïl'' such as Belgian French, Picard and Walloon. Walloo ...

from present-day

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

, eventually settled at the Cape of Good Hope. A notable example of this is the emigration of Huguenots from La Motte-d'Aigues in

Provence, France Provence (, , , , ; oc, Provença or ''Prouvènço'' , ) is a geographical region and historical province of southeastern France, which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône to the west to the Italian border to the east; it is bor ...

. After this large scale emigration, individual Huguenot immigrant families arrived at the Cape of Good Hope as late as the first quarter of the 18th century, and the state-subsidised emigration of Huguenots was stopped in 1706. This small body of immigrants had a marked influence on the character of the Dutch settlers. They were purposely spread out and given farms amongst the Dutch farmers. Owing to the policy instituted in 1701 of the

which dictated that schools should teach exclusively in

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

, that all official correspondence had to be done in Dutch, and strict laws of assembly, the Huguenots ceased by the middle of the 18th century to maintain a distinct identity, and the knowledge of French diminished and eventually disappeared as a home language.''History of the French Protestant Refugees, from the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes to our own days.''
M. Charles Weiss (Translated from the French by Henry William Herbert), 1854. New York: Stringer & Townsend. This assimilation into the colonial population was also due to the fact that many Huguenot descendants married individuals from the Dutch population.

Franschhoek

Many of these settlers were allocated farms in an area later called

Franschhoek Franschhoek (; Afrikaans for "French Corner", Dutch spelling before 1947 ''Fransche Hoek'') is a small town in the Western Cape Province and one of the oldest towns in South Africa. Formerly known as Oliphants hoek (as there were vast groups of ...

, Dutch for "French corner", in the present-day

Western Cape The Western Cape is a province of South Africa, situated on the south-western coast of the country. It is the fourth largest of the nine provinces with an area of , and the third most populous, with an estimated 7 million inhabitants in 2020 ...

province of South Africa. The valley was originally known as Olifantshoek ("Elephant's Corner"), so named because of the vast herds of elephants that roamed the area. The name of the area soon changed to ''le Coin Français'' ("the French Corner"), and later to Franschhoek, with many of the settlers naming their new farms after the areas in France from which they came. La Motte, La Cotte, Cabriere, Provence, Chamonix, Dieu Donne and La Dauphine were among some of the first established farms-—most of which still retain their original farm houses today.

Museum and monuments

A large

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, his ...

to commemorate the arrival of the Huguenots in South Africa was inaugurated on 17 April 1948 at

. A museum dedicated to the Huguenot history in South Africa is located adjacent to the monument. A smaller monument commemorating the 300th anniversary of the arrival of the Huguenots is located in the

Johannesburg Botanical Garden The Johannesburg Botanical Garden is located in the suburb of Emmarentia in Johannesburg, South Africa. The gardens grew out of a large rose garden that was established in 1964 (becoming known locally as the "Rose Garden") and subsequently expand ...

Voortrekkers

French Huguenot descendants were also included in the exodus of frontier farmers that was called the

Great Trek The Great Trek ( af, Die Groot Trek; nl, De Grote Trek) was a Northward migration of Dutch-speaking settlers who travelled by wagon trains from the Cape Colony into the interior of modern South Africa from 1836 onwards, seeking to live beyon ...

. Voortrekker surnames who were of French Huguenot ancestry include: (Original French spelling in brackets) *Aucamp (Auchamp) *Boshof (Bossau) *Bruwer (Bruere) *Buys (Du Buis) *Cilliers (Cellier) *Cronje (Cronier) *De Klerk (Le Clercq) *Delport (Delporte) *De Villiers *Du Plessis *Du Preez (Des Prez, Des Pres, Du Pre) *du Randt (Durand) *du Toit *Duvenage (Duvinage) *Fouche (Foucher) *Fourie *Gous / Gouws (Gauch) *Hugo (Hugot, Hugod) *Jacobs (Jacob) *Jordaan (Jourdan) *Joubert (Jaubert) *Labuschagne (la Buscagne) *Le Roux *Lombard *Malan (Mallan) *Marais *Maartens/Martins (Martin) *Malherbe *Minnaar (Meinard, Mesnard) *Meyer *Naudé *Nel (Neel, Niel) *Nortier / Nortje (Nourtier) *Pienaar (Pinard) *Retief (Retif) *Reyneke? (Reyne?) *Riekert? (Richard?) *Rossouw (Rousseau) *Roux *Senekal (Senecal, Senechal) *Taljaard (Taillard) *Terblanche (Terreblanque) *Theron (Therond) *Tredoux *Viljoen (Villion)

Legacy

South-Africa Johannesburg Botanical Garden-011

There are many families, today mostly Afrikaans-speaking, whose surnames bear witness to their Huguenot ancestry. A comprehensive list of these surnames can be seen on the Huguenot Memorial in the

. Examples of the more common names are Blignaut (''Blignault''), Cronje (''Cronier''), de Klerk (''Le Clercq''), Visagie (''Visage''),

de Villiers de Villiers is a common French and Afrikaans surname. It may refer to: * De Villiers (playwright) (c. 1600–1681), French playwright and actor *AB de Villiers, a former South African international cricketer *De Villiers Graaff, a former South Afr ...

, du Preez, du Plessis, du Toit, du Randt, Fourie, Fouche, Giliomee (''Guilliaume''), Gous / Gouws (''Gauch''), Hugo, Jacobs, Joubert, Jordaan (''Jourdan''), Labuschagne (''la Buscagne''), Lange, le Roux, Leonard, Lombard, Malan,

Michel Michel may refer to: * Michel (name), a given name or surname of French origin (and list of people with the name) * Míchel (nickname), a nickname (a list of people with the nickname, mainly Spanish footballers) * Míchel (footballer, born 1963), ...

Malherbe Malherbe may refer to: People * Malherbe (surname) ** François de Malherbe (1555-1628), French poet, reformer of French language Places France * La Haye-Malherbe, municipality of Eure (département), Eure * Malherbe-sur-Ajon, new municipal ...

, Marais, Nel, Nortje (Nourtier),

Pienaar Pienaar is a well-known Afrikaans surname, derived from the French '' Pinard''. It was brought to South Africa in 1688 by Huguenot settlers traveling with the Dutch East India Company. The extended progenitors of the Pienaar clan are Jacques Pinard ...

, Retief, Rossouw, Roux, Terreblanche, Taljard, Theron and

(''Villion''). Some of the descendants of these original Huguenot families became prominent figures in South African society, most notably F.W. de Klerk, the last State President of

apartheid Apartheid (, especially South African English: , ; , "aparthood") was a system of institutionalised racial segregation that existed in South Africa and South West Africa (now Namibia) from 1948 to the early 1990s. Apartheid was ...

-era South Africa. ''Some of the original forms of the surnames have been put in brackets.'' * Aegidius Jean Blignaut, South African writer *

George Christopher Cato George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presid ...

(Caton) first mayor of Durban. * Jan F. E. Celliers, Afrikaans-language poet, essayist, dramatist and reviewer. *

Sarel Cilliers Charl (Sarel) Arnoldus Cilliers (7 September 1801 – 4 October 1871) was a Voortrekker leader and a preacher. With Andries Pretorius, he led the Boers to a huge victory over the Zulus at the Battle of Blood River in 1838. In particular, Cillie ...

Voortrekker The Great Trek ( af, Die Groot Trek; nl, De Grote Trek) was a Northward migration of Dutch-speaking settlers who travelled by wagon trains from the Cape Colony into the interior of modern South Africa from 1836 onwards, seeking to live beyo ...

leader and a preacher. *

Hansie Cronje Wessel Johannes "Hansie" Cronje (25 September 1969 – 1 June 2002) was a South African international cricketer and captain of the South African national cricket team in the 1990s. A right-handed all-rounder, as captain Cronje led his team to vi ...

cricketer *

Piet Cronje Piet may refer to: People *Piet (given name), a common name in the Netherlands and South Africa *Henri Piet (1888–1915), French lightweight boxer *Tony Piet (1906–1981), American Major League Baseball player Schools *Purushottam Institute of ...

leader of the Transvaal Republic's military forces during the First and Second Anglo-Boer Wars * F.W. de Klerk (born 18 March 1936; "Le Clerc"), last State President of

-era South Africa. *

Koos de la Rey Jacobus Herculaas de la Rey (22 October 1847 – 15 September 1914), better known as Koos de la Rey, was a South African military officer who served as a Boer general during the Second Boer War. also had a political career and was one of the l ...

, (Jacobus Herculaas de la Rey) (22 October 1847 – 15 September 1914) was a Boer general during the Second Boer War *

Fanie de Villiers Petrus Stephanus "Fanie" de Villiers (born 13 October 1964), is a retired cricketer who played 18 Test matches and 83 One Day Internationals for South Africa as a right arm fast-medium bowler and right hand batsman between 1992 and 1998. He ...

, former South African cricket player *

AB de Villiers Abraham Benjamin de Villiers (born 17 February 1984) is a former South African international cricketer. AB de Villiers was named as the ICC ODI Player of the Year three times during his 15-year international career and was one of the five W ...

, former South African cricket player *

Rilee Rossouw Rilee Roscoe Rossouw (born 9 October 1989) is a South African cricketer who played for South Africa between 2014 and 2016, before making a return to international cricket in July 2022. In South Africa he played domestic cricket for Knights and ...

Top class all rounder cricketer * Hempies du Toit,

Springboks The South Africa national rugby union team, commonly known as the Springboks (colloquially the Boks, Bokke or Amabokoboko), is the country's national team governed by the South African Rugby Union. The Springboks play in green and gold jersey ...

rugby player and winemaker *

Jean de Villiers Jean de Villiers (born 24 February 1981) is a South African former professional rugby union player. He started his career at wing, but played most of his career as an inside centre. De Villiers previously played for Western Province in the ...

rugby player * Pieter de Villiers, South African athlete and Olympian (400m hurdles) *

Faf du Plessis Francois "Faf" du Plessis ( ; born 13 July 1984) is a South African professional cricketer and former captain of the South Africa national cricket team. He is considered one of the greatest fielders of all time and is among the best all-forma ...

, South African cricketer *

Morne du Plessis Morne is an Old-French word for a small mountain. It may refer to: * Morne a Chandelle, a village in the Sud-Est department of Haiti * Morne-à-l'Eau, a commune in Guadeloupe * Morne Bois-Pin, the fourth highest mountain in Haiti * Morne la Vigie ...

, Springboks rugby player * I. D. du Plessis, poet * Ampie du Preez, singer-songwriter *

Frik du Preez Frederik Christoffel Hendrik "Frik" du Preez (born 28 November 1935) is a former South African rugby union player who represented Northern Transvaal and the Springboks. He was born on a farm near Rustenburg and went to school at Parys High Schoo ...

("du Prez"), Springboks rugby player, named as South Africa's rugby player of the 20th century *

Max du Preez Max du Preez (born 10 March 1951) is a South African author, columnist and documentary filmmaker and was the founding editor of '' Vrye Weekblad''. Vrye Weekblad Online or Vrye Weekblad II was launched on 5 April 2019 again with Max du Preez as ...

, journalist and author *

Mignon du Preez Mignon du Preez (born 13 June 1989) is a South African cricketer, who was the women's team captain in all three forms of cricket, Test matches, ODIs and T20Is, from 2007 to 2018. A right-handed batter and occasional wicket-keeper, du Preez ...

, South African cricketer *

Alexander du Toit Alexander Logie du Toit FRS ( ; 14 March 1878 – 25 February 1948) was a geologist from South Africa and an early supporter of Alfred Wegener's theory of continental drift. Early life and education Du Toit was born in Newlands, Cape Town in ...

, geologist * Daniel du Toit, South African astronomer * Christiaan du Toit, South African military commander * D. F. du Toit, co-founder of an

Afrikaans language movement The Afrikaans language movement is one of three efforts that have been organised to promote Afrikaans in South Africa.Hein Willemse"More than an oppressor’s language: reclaiming the hidden history of Afrikaans" ''theconversation.com'', April 27, 2 ...

named the Society of Real Afrikaners * S. G. du Toit, co-founder of an Afrikaans language movement named the Society of Real Afrikaners * Wikus du Toit *

Stephanus Jacobus du Toit The Reverend Stephanus Jacobus du Toit (9 October 1847 – 29 May 1911) was a controversial South African nationalist, theologian, journalist and failed politician. In his younger years Du Toit did much to promote the Afrikaans language as a s ...

, co-founder of an Afrikaans language movement named the Society of Real Afrikaners *

Abraham Faure Abraham Faure (29 August 1795 – 28 March 1875) was a clergyman and author from Cape Colony, part of what later became South Africa. Church career Born in Stellenbosch, Faure was educated in both England and the Netherlands and, with a ...

, (29 August 1795 – 28 March 1875) Cape clergyman and author *

Jacobus Johannes Fouché A Jacobus is an English gold coin of the reign of James I, worth 25 shillings. The name of the coin comes from the Latin inscription surrounding the King's head on the obverse of the coin, IACOBUS D G MAG BRIT FRA ET HI REX ("James, by the grace ...

, (6 June 1898, Wepener – 23 September 1980 Cape Town) served as the second President of South Africa from 1968 to 1975 * Johnny Fourie, famous jazz guitarist. *

Elsa Joubert Elsabé Antoinette Murray Joubert OIS (19 October 1922 – 14 June 2020) was a Sestigers Afrikaans-language writer. She rose to prominence with her novel '' Die swerfjare van Poppie Nongena'' (The Long Journey of Poppie Nongena), which was tra ...

, South African novelist in Afrikaans *

Gideon Joubert Gideon Joubert (4 September 1923 – 27 October 2010) was a South African writer and journalist (at ''Die Burger'') who was known for his intelligent design-opinions, especially present in his book, '' Die Groot Gedagte'', which was his bigges ...

, South African author and journalist Afrikaans science non-fiction author *

Marius Joubert Marius Charl Joubert (born 10 July 1979 in Paarl, Western Cape) is a South African rugby union player who played as a centre for Stormers in Super Rugby. He has previously played for the Boland Cavaliers, Free State Cheetahs, ASM Clermont Au ...

, Springboks rugby player *

Petrus Jacobus Joubert Petrus Jacobus Joubert (20 January 1831 – 28 March 1900), better known as Piet Joubert, was Commandant-General of the South African Republic from 1880 to 1900. He also served as Vice-President to Paul Kruger from 1881 - 1883. He served in Fir ...

, boer commandant-general of the South African Republic from 1880 to 1900 *

Piet Joubert Petrus Jacobus Joubert (20 January 1831 – 28 March 1900), better known as Piet Joubert, was Commandant-General of the South African Republic from 1880 to 1900. He also served as Vice-President to Paul Kruger from 1881 - 1883. He served in Fir ...

* Ruda Landman * Frederick Le Roux, South African cricketer * Garth Le Roux, South African cricketer *

Adolph Malan Adolph Gysbert Malan, (3 October 1910 – 17 September 1963), better known as Sailor Malan, was a South African fighter pilot and flying ace in the Royal Air Force (RAF) who led No. 74 Squadron RAF during the Battle of Britain. He finished ...

(1910–1963), known as Sailor Malan, Royal Air Force fighter pilot in the Second World War *

Daniel François Malan Daniël François Malan (; 22 May 1874 – 7 February 1959) was a South African politician who served as the fourth prime minister of South Africa from 1948 to 1954. The National Party implemented the system of apartheid, which enforce ...

, who was a Prime Minister of South Africa elected on apartheid platform *

Magnus Malan General Magnus André de Merindol Malan (30 January 1930 – 18 July 2011) was a South African military figure and politician during the last years of apartheid in South Africa. He served respectively as Minister of Defence in the cabinet of P ...

, former South African Minister of Defence (in the cabinet of President P. W. Botha), Chief of the South African Defence Force (SADF) and Chief of the South African Army. *

Rian Malan Rian Malan (born 1954, in Johannesburg) is a South African author, journalist, documentarist and songwriter of Afrikaner descent. He first rose to prominence as the author of the memoir '' My Traitor's Heart'', which, like the bulk of his wor ...

, celebrated South African author, journalist and political activist. *

D. F. Malherbe Daniël Francois Malherbe or (as he is generally known) D.F. Malherbe (28 May 1881 – 12 April 1969), was an Afrikaans-language novelist, poet, dramatist, and scholar. He was born in Dal Josafat in the Cape Colony, now Western Cape Provinc ...

, Afrikaans novelist * Gideon Malherbe, co-founder of an Afrikaans language movement named the Society of Real Afrikaners * Ben Marais *

Eugene Marais Eugene may refer to: People and fictional characters * Eugene (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Eugene (actress) (born 1981), Kim Yoo-jin, South Korean actress and former member of the sin ...

Sarie Marais "Sarie Marais" (also known as "My Sarie Marais", ) is a traditional South African folk song, created possibly during the First Anglo-Boer War (c. 1880) or (more likely) the Second Anglo-Boer War (ca. 1900). The tune was possibly taken from a song ...

Beyers Naudé Christiaan Frederick Beyers Naudé (10 May 1915 – 7 September 2004) was a South African Afrikaner Calvinist Dominee, theologian and the leading Afrikaner anti-apartheid activist. He was known simply as Beyers Naudé, or more colloquially, ...

, Afrikaner anti apartheid cleric. * Charle-Pierre Naudé, poet * Jozua Naudé, acting President of South Africa from 1967 to 1968 *

Francois Pienaar Jacobus Francois Pienaar (born 2 January 1967) is a retired South African rugby union player. He played flanker for South Africa (the Springboks) from 1993 until 1996, winning 29 international caps, all of them as captain. He is best known for ...

, former

rugby player; captain of the first Springboks team to win the

Rugby World Cup The Rugby World Cup is a men's rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport's international governing body. The winners are awarded the Webb E ...

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

* Piet Retief, boer voortrekker *

Esta TerBlanche Esta TerBlanche (born 7 January 1973) is a South African actress, best known for her roles on television soap operas in both South Africa and the United States. Early life TerBlanche was born in Rustenburg, North West Province. She is of Hugue ...

("Terre-Blanche") *

Eugène Terre'Blanche Eugène Ney Terre'Blanche (, 31 January 1941Terre'Blanche's year of birth is alternately given as 1941 or 1944. The majority of sources indicates 1941; sources that claim 1944 as his year of birth includ''The Star''AWB * Juan Theron, South African-born cricketer who has played both for the

South African national cricket team The South Africa national cricket team, also known as the Proteas, represents South Africa in men's international cricket and is administered by Cricket South Africa (CSA). South Africa is a full member of the International Cricket Council (I ...

and the

United States national cricket team The United States national cricket team is the team that represents the United States in international cricket. The team was formerly organised by the United States of America Cricket Association (USACA), which became an associate member of ...

* Charlize Theron, Hollywood actress * Totius (Jakob Daniël du Toit) – poet *

Constand Viljoen General Constand Laubscher Viljoen, (28 October 1933 – 3 April 2020) was a South African military commander and politician. He co-founded the Afrikaner Volksfront (Afrikaner People's Front) and later founded the Freedom Front (now F ...

("Villion"), former leader of the South African Freedom Front (1994–2001) and SADF general *

Gerrit Viljoen Gerrit Van Niekerk Viljoen (11 September 1926 in Cape Town – 29 March 2009) was a South African government minister and member of the National Party. He was chair of the Broederbond from 1974 to 1980, Administrator-General of South Wes ...

*H.D Viljoen (Former Inspector General SADF) *

Marais Viljoen Marais Viljoen, (2 December 1915 – 4 January 2007) was the last ceremonial state president of South Africa from 4 June 1979 until 3 September 1984. Viljoen became the last of the ceremonial presidents of South Africa when he was succeeded in ...

* Paul Visagie, athlete and direct descendant of General

Various French-language first names have also gained popularity amongst Afrikaners, examples being Francois, Jacques, Pierre, Charles, Jean-Pierre, Chantelle and Eugene. Some Afrikaans writers have Huguenot surnames, and were involved in setting up the Society of Real Afrikaners. The wine industry in South Africa was greatly influenced by the Huguenots, many of whose families had owned

vineyards A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...

in France. Many of the farms in the Western Cape province in South Africa still bear French names, such as Haute Cabrière, La Petite Provence, La Bourgogne, La Motte, La Bri, La Borie, La Chataigne and La Roche.

References

Notes

External links

The Huguenot Society of South Africa

Huguenot families

Du Preez Family

Roux Family

Viljoen Family
{{Ethnic groups in South Africa History of South Africa Ethnic groups in South Africa French-South African culture Lists of South African people Dutch Cape Colony Religion in the Dutch Empire History of the Dutch East India Company