Pienaar is a well-known Afrikaans surname, derived from the French Pinard.[1] It was brought to South Africa in 1688 by Huguenot settlers traveling with the Dutch East India Company.[2] The extended progenitors of the Pienaar clan are Jacques Pinard, a carpenter from Eure-et-Loir, and Esther Foucher (born Suèvres, Orléanais). After Esther's death Pinard later remarried Marthe le Fèbre, a native of Paarl.[2] An extensive genealogy of the Pienaar family in South Africa was compiled by ZJ (Sakkie) Pienaar, and privately published as "Die Pienaars in Suid-Afrika." An updated version of the Pienaar genealogy was compiled by Christo Viljoen, whose mother was née Pienaar, as the "Pienaar Familieregister" and published by the Huguenot Society of South Africa.[3]
Some of the descendants of the Pienaar progenitors include:
- Antoinette Pienaar, South African actress and writer
- Ben Pienaar, British rugby player
- Dan Pienaar, South African career soldier
- Francois Pienaar, South African rugby player
- Gerhardus Pienaar, South African javelin thrower
- John Pienaar, British journalist
- Jonathan Pienaar, South African actor
- Louis Pienaar, South African diplomat
- Michael Pienaar, Namibian football player
- Pierre de Villiers Pienaar, South African academic
- Peet Pienaar, South African performance artist
- Roy Pienaar, South African cricketer
- Ruan Pienaar, South African rugby player
- Steven Pienaar, South African football player
- Susanna Pienaar, South African writer
- Simon Pienaar, South African artist
Characters in fiction[edit]
- Peter Pienaar, fictional World War I flying ace
- Ross Pienaar, fictional character in the movie "District 9"
See also[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ Huguenot Society of South Africa
- ^ a b Jacques Pinard
- ^ "Huguenot Society of South Africa". www.hugenoot.org.za. Archived from the original on 2014-01-19.