'''Pienaar''' is a well-known Afrikaans surname, derived from the French ''Pinard''.<ref>[http://www.hugenoot.org.za/surname.htm Huguenot Society of South Africa]</ref> It was brought to South Africa in 1688 by Huguenot settlers traveling with the Dutch East India Company.<ref name="Pinard">[http://www.stamouers.com/index.php/stamouers/surnames-n-to-q/392-pinard-jacques- Jacques Pinard]</ref> 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.<ref name="Pinard"/> 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.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hugenoot.org.za/publications.htm#Pienaar |title=Huguenot Society of South Africa |website=www.hugenoot.org.za |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140119040819/http://www.hugenoot.org.za/publications.htm |archive-date=2014-01-19}} </ref>
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 *Roy Pienaar, South African cricketer *Ruan Pienaar, South African rugby player *Steven Pienaar, South African football player *{{ill|Trix Pienaar|af}}, South African actress and writer *{{ill|Petrus Arnoldus Pienaar|af}}, South African Dutch Reformed Minister
==Characters in fiction==
*Peter Pienaar, fictional World War I flying ace *Ross Pienaar, fictional character in the movie "District 9"
==See also==
*Pienaarsrivier *Pienaars River *Johan Pienaar Airport
==References== {{reflist}}
{{surname}}
Category:Surnames of French origin Category:Afrikaans-language surnames