Motaung is a surname commonly used in Southern Africa, particularly in South Africa. The spelling of "motaung" can be broken down phonetically as follows: /moʊˈtaʊŋ/ or "mow-ta-ung". The "au" sound is pronounced as in "caught", while the "ng" sound is a nasalized consonant. The word's spelling, like many words in the Sotho and Tswana languages, is influenced by the orthography set forth by colonial powers in southern Africa. Despite this, the Motaung name remains significant to many South Africans.
The word "Motaung" is of Sotho origin and it is a surname commonly found among the Basotho people of Lesotho and South Africa. In Sotho, "motaung" means "the house of". It is a compound word formed by combining the prefix "mo" meaning "of" or "the place of" and the word "taung" meaning "house" or "home". Therefore, "motaung" can be interpreted as "the house of Taung" or "the home of Taung".