Gautama (also Gotama) is one of the seven Saptarishi and a major figure of the Angirasa family. He is traditionally regarded as a mind-born son of Brahma or as a descendant of the earlier sage Angiras. Gautama is the seer of several Rigvedic hymns and is the traditional author of the Gautama Dharmasutra, one of the oldest extant Dharma texts. He is also associated with the creation or naming of the Godavari River (sometimes called Gautami). His wife was Ahalya; their story, in which Indra deceives Ahalya and Gautama curses both of them, is well known from the Ramayana. Later, Rama liberates Ahalya from her curse.
Gautama’s descendants include important figures such as Shatananda (priest of King Janaka) and, according to some traditions, lines that connect to later teachers. The Gautama gotra is widespread among Brahmins and appears in other communities as well. It belongs to the larger Angirasa group, and its pravara commonly includes Angirasa–Ayasya–Gautama. Although the historical Buddha belonged to the Shakya clan that later used the name Gautama, the Vedic gotra itself long predates that association and is independent of it.
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Name of a revered Vedic sage. The same name later became closely associated with the historical Buddha's clan, though the gotra itself predates that connection.
No. Gotra and surname are separate systems. Families with many different surnames, across many regions and communities, can share the same gotra, and families with the same surname can belong to different gotras.
Many communities traditionally avoid marriage between people of the same gotra, based on the idea that they share a common patrilineal ancestor. Exact customs vary widely by community and region.