How many children did Nelson Mandela have?

Nelson Mandela had six children.

His children were born across his marriages to Evelyn Mase and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. Several were given names associated with family and Xhosa traditions, reflecting the importance of lineage in Mandela’s upbringing.

Mandela’s family life was deeply affected by apartheid, imprisonment, and political exile. His long periods away from home meant that he missed much of his children’s childhoods, a personal cost he discussed in his autobiography.

A common mix-up is confusing Mandela’s six children with his grandchildren, whose number was considerably larger. Mandela died in 2013, leaving a large extended family that continued his public legacy through charitable and civic work.