The following is a list of notable people from Jamaica. The list includes some non-resident Jamaicans who were born in Jamaica and also people of predominantly Jamaican heritage.
Artists Carl Abrahams, painter Hope Brooks, painter John Dunkley, painter and sculptor Gloria Escoffery, painter and art critic Laura Facey, sculptor and installation artist Christopher González, painter and sculptor Ras Daniel Heartman, artist Albert Huie, painter George "Fowokan" Kelly, sculptor Edna Manley, painter, sculptor and arts educator Alvin Marriott, sculptor Ronald Moody, sculptor; Moody crater on Mercury was named after him Keith Anthony Morrison, painter, printmaker, educator, critic, curator and administrator Petrona Morrison, sculptor and media artist Ebony Patterson, visual artist and educator David Pottinger, painter Mallica Reynolds, painter and sculptor Margaret Rose Vendryes, multimedia artist Barrington Watson, painter Basil Watson, painter and sculptor Donnette Zacca, fine arts photographer, lecturer, and artist
Beauty contest winners Cindy Breakspeare, Miss World 1976 Carole Joan Crawford, Miss World 1963 Lisa Hanna, Miss World 1993, politician Toni-Ann Singh, Miss World 2019
Business and law Alexander Aikman, printer, publisher, and landowner Chris Blackwell, president and CEO of Island Records and Palm Pictures, NYC Morris Cargill, lawyer and businessman G. Raymond Chang, co-founder of CI Financial and the third chancellor of Ryerson University Alexandra Chong, founder and CEO of Jacana Tanya Chutkan, Jamaican-born American lawyer and jurist serving as a United States district court judge for the District of Columbia; judge overseeing the criminal trial of former president Donald Trump over his attempts to overturn the 2020 general election including events leading up to the United States Capitol attack Gloria Cumper, barrister, first black woman to study at the University of Cambridge Jak Beula Dodd, entrepreneur and inventor of the board game Nubian Jak Wilfred Emmanuel-Jones, businessman, farmer and founder of "The Black Farmer" range of food products Renatha Francis, circuit judge in Palm Beach County, Florida Alfred Constantine Goffe, "the banana king" of Port Maria Claudia L. Gordon, lawyer, first deaf black female attorney in the United States Marshall Hall, economist, businessman and banker Ephraim and Lowell Hawthorne, founders of Golden Krust Caribbean Bakery Joey Issa, founder of Cool Group Michael Lee-Chin, chairman/CEO of AIC Limited, chairman of NCB Jamaica Henry Lowe, owner of a variety of businesses in the health industry Val McCalla, accountant and media entrepreneur; the founder of The Voice, a British weekly newspaper aimed at the Britain's black community Caroline Newman, entrepreneur and the first black solicitor to be elected to the Council of the Law Society of England and Wales Janet Nosworthy, international judge and lawyer Philip Ernest Housden Pike, barrister and judge who served as the second Chief Justice of Borneo Heather Rabbatts, businesswoman, solicitor and broadcaster; became the youngest council chief in the UK; first ethnic minority person to serve as a Football Association director Patrick Lipton Robinson, member of the International Court of Justice Tracy Robinson, lawyer and lecturer in the Faculty of Law at the University of the West Indies Lascelles Robotham, lawyer and chief justice of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Levi Roots, chairman of Reggae Reggae Sauce David P. Rowe, lawyer Adam Stewart Gordon "Butch" Stewart George Stiebel, trader and entrepreneur who became Jamaica's first black millionaire Tom Tavares-Finson, lawyer Gail Vaz-Oxlade, financial adviser, TV personality James S. Watson, one of the first Black Americans elected as a judge in the state of New York Dame Sharon White, businesswoman and Second Permanent Secretary at HM Treasury 2013–2015; first black person, and the second woman, to become a permanent secretary at the UK HM Treasury Damian Williams, first African-American U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York
Bands Black Uhuru, Grammy Award winners Bob Marley and the Wailers Burning Spear Byron Lee and the Dragonaires Culture Inner Circle Morgan Heritage, Grammy Award winners The Pioneers Skatalites, ska band Sly and Robbie Third World T.O.K., a crew of deejays Toots and the Maytals, double Grammy Award winners
Journalists, poets and writers
Opal Palmer Adisa, writer Louisa Wells Aikman, writer Gwyneth Barber Wood, poet Edward Baugh, poet Lindsay Barrett, writer, playwright, journalist Louise Bennett-Coverley, poet Evon Blake, journalist Barbara Blake Hannah, author and journalist; first black on-camera reporter and interviewer on British television Jean "Binta" Breeze, poet Erna Brodber, novelist Lady Colin Campbell, writer, socialite Morris Cargill, journalist Margaret Cezair-Thompson, novelist Colin Channer, novelist, co-founder of Calabash Staceyann Chin, poet and writer Michelle Cliff, writer Aston Cooke, playwright, artistic director Carolyn Cooper, writer and cultural theorist Christine Craig, poet and short story writer Patricia Cumper, playwright Kwame Dawes, Ghana-born writer, co-founder of Calabash Jean D'Costa, professor, linguist, and children's novelist Ferdinand Dennis, writer, broadcaster, journalist and lecturer Nicole Dennis-Benn, novelist John Figueroa, poet Ryan Fraser, writer Thomas Glave, Bronx-born writer Lorna Goodison, writer Hubert Henry Harrison, writer, philosopher Victor Headley, author John Hearne, journalist, novelist Perry Henzell, writer, director Marlon James, novelist Vere Johns, writer, broadcaster, actor Linton Kwesi Johnson, dub poet Evan Jones, writer Roger Mais, novelist Louis Marriott, playwright, actor, director, journalist Una Marson, writer, broadcaster Claude McKay, writer Alecia McKenzie, writer Anthony McNeill, poet Brian Meeks, novelist Kei Miller, writer Pamela Mordecai, poet Mervyn Morris, poet Mutabaruka, poet Oku Onuora, writer Geoffrey Philp, writer Patricia Powell, novelist Claudia Rankine, poet Barry Reckord, playwright Victor Stafford Reid, writer Leone Ross, novelist, editor, short story writer, journalist, academic Andrew Salkey, writer Dennis Scott, poet and playwright Olive Senior, writer Malachi Smith, poet Pamela Colman Smith, artist and writer Michael Thelwell, writer Vivian Virtue, poet Sylvia Wynter, writer Kerry Young, author
Models Tyson Beckford, model Martine Beswick, model, actress Carla Campbell, model Naomi Campbell, model Winnie Harlow, model Grace Jones, model, musician, actress Venice Kong, Playboy playmate Stacey McKenzie, supermodel, actress and model coach Rachel Stuart, model, television personality Karin Taylor, former Playboy model
Musicians, actors and filmmakers
Aidonia, dancehall, rap DJ DJ Akademiks, blogger Alaine, singer Monty Alexander, jazz pianist and composer Cherine Anderson, singer, actress, director Esther Anderson, actress, filmmaker, photographer Buju Banton, reggae singer Roxanne Beckford, actress and producer Beenie Man, DJ; Grammy winner Thom Bell, musician, singer-songwriter, arranger and producer Barbara Blake Hannah, filmmaker, festival organiser Bounty Killer, reggae musician Carl Bradshaw, actor, film producer Yvonne Brewster, actress, theatre director Brigadier Jerry, reggae musician, dancehall DJ Dennis Brown, reggae singer Gregory Isaacs, reggae singer Burning Spear, real name Winston Rodney, reggae musician Busy Signal, dancehall and reggae musician DJ Canibus, rapper Charlie Chaplin, reggae singer Clive Chin, record producer Tessanne Chin, singer-songwriter, winner of NBC's The Voice Season 5 in 2013 Vincent "Randy" Chin, record producer, co-founder of VP Records Chipmunk, rapper, songwriter Chubb Rock, rapper, radio personality Tami Chynn, singer-songwriter Jimmy Cliff, singer, reggae musician Count Ossie, Rastafari drummer and band leader Patricia Cumper, producer, director, theatre administrator, critic and commentator Yvonne Curtis, reggae singer-songwriter Desmond Dekker, ska and reggae singer Demarco, reggae and dancehall musician Coxsone Dodd, record producer Clancy Eccles, ska and reggae singer, record producer Eek-a-Mouse, reggae singer Elephant Man, reggae singer Horace Faith, reggae singer Chuck Fenda, singer FKA Twigs, singer Honor Ford-Smith, actress, playwright, poet Dean Fraser, reggae musician Kirk Fraser, film director, film producer, screenwriter Ghetts, grime MC Joe Gibbs, record producer Andrew Gourlay, conductor Mona Hammond, actress Dahlia Harris, actress and television personality Heavy D, rapper Sean Paul Henriques, dancehall musician Toots Hibbert, reggae musician Joseph Hill, reggae musician and band leader, Culture Deni Hines, singer Marcia Hines, singer Stephen Hopkins, film director Giggs, rapper Grace Jones, singer and actress Natalia Kills, singer K-Anthony, gospel singer Ini Kamoze, reggae musician Kano, rapper, actor Koffee, reggae musician Vybz Kartel, dancehall musician, rapper, DJ Wynton Kelly, jazz pianist Joseph Hoo Kim, record producer Diana King, reggae musician King Tubby, dub musician Sean Kingston, singer Sean Paul, singer Kiprich, DJ DJ Kool Herc, DJ Byron Lee, ska and soca musician Rusty Lee, actress, singer, television personality Barrington Levy, reggae singer Mad Cobra, dancehall DJ Bob Marley, reggae singer Damian Marley, reggae musician Ky-Mani Marley, reggae musician Rita Marley, reggae singer; wife of Bob Marley Stephen Marley, singer Ziggy Marley, reggae musician; son of Bob Marley Mavado, dancehall and reggae musician Winston McAnuff, reggae and dub singer and composer aka Electric Dread Carmen McRae, singer Mr. Vegas, DJ Hugh Mundell, reggae singer-songwriter The Notorious B.I.G., rapper Augustus Pablo, reggae singer PARTYNEXTDOOR, singer Patra, dancehall musician Dawn Penn, reggae singer Lee "Scratch" Perry, reggae musician Leigh-Anne Pinnock, singer Prince Buster, ska singer and producer Ernest Ranglin, jazz, ska, rocksteady and reggae guitarist Ras Droppa, reggae artist Lloyd Reckord, actor, producer, director, playwright Duke Reid, record producer Pete Rock, record producer, DJ, rapper Wayne Rhoden, singer-songwriter Tarrus Riley, singer Tenor Saw, reggae artist Sasha, DJ Lady Saw, reggae musician Serani, reggae singer Shabba Ranks, reggae musician Shaggy, singer-songwriter Shenseea, rapper Madge Sinclair, Emmy-winning actress Sister Nancy, dancehall DJ Sizzla, reggae and dancehall deejay Millie Small, singer-songwriter Mikey Smith, dub poet Spice, dancehall musician Spot, rapper Spragga Benz, reggae and dancehall DJ Neville Staple, singer Stefflon Don, rapper Peter Tosh, reggae musician Ruby Turner, singer-songwriter and actress Tyga, rapper Bunny Wailer, reggae singer Ashley Walters, actor Walshy Fire, DJ Willard White, operatic bass-baritone will.i.am, rapper, singer-songwriter and record producer Peter Williams, actor Wretch 32, rapper XXXTentacion, rapper and singer-songwriter Yellowman, reggae and dancehall DJ
Politicians Kenneth Baugh, minister of health and deputy prime minister Barbara Blake-Hannah, first Rastafarian representative in the Jamaican parliament Alexander Bustamante, trade unionist and prime minister, national hero Phyllis Coard, revolutionary and politician in Grenada R. James deRoux, longest-serving custos rotulorum Bruce Golding, prime minister Lisa Hanna, minister of Youth & Culture, former Miss World Kamala Harris, vice president of the United States Abraham Hodgson, member of House of Assembly of Jamaica Andrew Holness, prime minister Hyman Isaac Long, deputy inspector general of the Grand Consistory of the twenty-five degree "Rite of the Royal Secret" (11 January 1795) Kenneth Jones, minister of communications and works Michael Manley, prime minister Norman Manley, prime minister and Jamaican national hero Earle Maynier, first Jamaican high commissioner to Canada Henry Moore, colonial governor Trevor Munroe, trade unionist and politician P. J. Patterson, prime minister