Venters

Venter or Venters is an Afrikaans (and rarely, Jewish) surname, and may refer to:

The commonly accepted origin of the surname finds its roots in the Netherlands, however due to poor record-keeping there are doubts whether or not this is true. During the Church Reformation, the persecuted were known to board ships bound for far-off lands (South Africa being one with its recent establishment as a trading post for the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and their representative Jan van Riebeeck in 1652. During these escapes names were often changed, thus muddying the water.

One disputing theory is that Venter does not derive from the Dutch "Van Deventer" , but rather from the French "Fender" as Hugenots sought refuge in the new settlement in the mid- to late 17th century.

There are still many missing links in the genealogy of the Venter family.